


An Education

by lilithenaltum



Series: Marvel Kink & Carnality [1]
Category: Black Panther (2018), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Bucky Needs to Just Admit He Loves Shuri, Coming of Age, Dirty Talk, Everybody is bi, Everyone Is Poly Because Avengers, Experimentation, F/F, F/M, Knifeplay, M/M, Mutual Pining, Older Man/Younger Woman, Older Woman/Younger Woman, Open Marriage, Open Relationships, Praise Kink, Shuri and Brunnhilde friendship (with benefits!), Shuri gets shared like the last slice of pizza, Shuri's Broken White Boys, Smut, Valki is a power couple, not for the Shuri is a precious cinnamon roll crowd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-07-10 16:40:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 50,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15953345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilithenaltum/pseuds/lilithenaltum
Summary: Shuri can't shake the image of innocence that surrounds her. Overprotected and sexually frustrated, she implores her friend, bodyguard, and the object of her affections, Bucky Barnes, to take her along to one of Tony Stark's exclusive sex parties. But Bucky only sees her as the kid she'd been and not the woman she's become.A wrong number leads her to Loki, Prince of Asgard, and Earth's favorite reformed bad boy, who takes the young woman under his wing and teaches her a few lessons on sensuality, seduction, sexuality, and pleasure. And before her week in New York is over, she'll have all she needs to win the heart of Bucky and show the world that she's not as innocent as they all think.





	1. Registration

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a series of fics I've wanted to write for shits and giggles, based on the premise of a poly Team Cap trash fic I thought up one night but have only ever written one part to. And then the ideas kept coming and the participants list grew larger. So, due to a combination of spite, pettiness, and a little bit of my own poly kink coming out, I started to write this.
> 
> Hopefully, it's as fun as I imagined it would be in my head. 
> 
> Enjoy!

It all started because of a key party.

 

Shuri wasn’t even invited to said key party, being that she was on the younger end of the spectrum as far as the Avengers and Guardians and associates were, but she heard about it. She was nosy; she’d caught Bucky texting Sam about it one night before they left for New York and asked him, point blank, what a key party was.

 

She should have known by the way he turned blood red that it was something naughty.

 

But she wasn’t a kid anymore, not by a long shot. She was coming up on her 22 birthday in a few months and she was still treated like she was barely 12. It was frustrating. Guys didn’t want to touch her, for fear of offending her brother, and she’d run out of options as far as sneaking in little one night stands on her visits abroad. There’d been a slight handful of boys here and there when she was in Oakland, but nothing that ever stuck and the sex hadn’t been that great. It was a little isolating to be in the middle of her multitude of cousins and listen to them gossip about which boy or which girl they’d been with recently and how good it was and yadda yadda. She never had anything to contribute, most of the time. And the few times (three, she’d had sex three times with only two people and they’d both sucked) she had anything to add had been lackluster and not worth a mention. So she didn’t.

 

In fact, she was fairly certain all her cousins and friends thought she was a virgin or at least mostly one. And maybe she was kind of; she wasn’t entirely sure what constituted a loss of virginity. The internet was wishy washy on the subject and she got tired of worrying about it. Even so, it still wore on her some.

 

So when Bucky turned red as he did (and cute as hell when he did so), she couldn’t help prodding and pushing him for more information, even as he sputtered in embarrassment.

 

“It’s uh, um…it’s a grown up party.”

 

“Ah. Well, I’m a grown up-“

 

“Not that grown.”

 

She’d rolled her eyes at that but he glared at her in a way she wasn’t sure if she wanted to push just yet. He could be incredibly dangerous, her White Wolf. There was a specific reason T’Challa had allowed him to serve as her personal bodyguard for the last few years. He had no issue glowering at anyone who even seemed as though they’d be a threat. It had been a miracle she’d ever gotten any action to begin with, but those few instances had been when he was off on specialized missions and she had her Dora to accompany her and Nakia to the outreach center.

 

And the Dora honestly didn’t seem to care if she got some. In fact, most of them encouraged it, Okoye and Ayo being the exceptions.

 

But anyway.

 

Shuri had never gotten anywhere by being timid so she prodded, just a little more to see if he’d actually answer her in some way.

 

“You realize I’m not a baby anymore, right?”

 

He grunted in agreement. “Mmmhm.”

 

“So you can tell me what this grown up key party is, yes?”

 

“I could,” he concurs, “but I don’t wanna.”

 

She huffed a bit but decided not to roll her eyes, lest he think she was being a brat. He’d told her she was sometimes. She found she actually liked it, especially when his eyes crinkled when he said it and his lips curled up just a little and he was so hot sometimes when he smirked like that.

 

She was getting distracted.

 

“Why?”

 

He took a moment to lift his gaze to hers and she saw more than just annoyance there. There was a little bit of trepidation and fear behind them and for a brief moment, she wondered if this had something to do with murder and not sex. But the moment passed when he sighed and sat the pad he was reading down, crossing his arms across his chest and watched her for a moment.

 

She couldn’t help how her eyes traveled over his broad chest and his thick arms and his massive shoulders. He was ridiculously good looking and there was nothing in the world she could do to stop thinking about it. And he had the nerve to lean forward a bit so she got a whiff of his clean, sharp cologne (the same kind her brother wore, but god, it smelled so different on Bucky, so sexy) and she had to cross her legs to keep from whimpering.

 

This was ridiculous. She needed to get laid. And soon. Of course, Bucky was out of her reach so that was just a fantasy she’d live with when she got cozy in the tub and whipped out her waterproof vibe. And he never needed to know about that. She was pretty certain he didn’t want her like that anyway.

 

_He thinks I’m a kid. That’s all he’ll ever see me as._

 

“If I tell you this, you’ve gotta promise you won’t say shit to anyone about it, okay?”

 

Oh. It was like that. Nodding eagerly, she scooted her chair closer to his and when he drew in a breath she made sure her attention was focused solely on him. She wanted all the good, dirty details.

 

“Alright, so…a key party is…well, you know what a swinger is, huh?”

 

“No? I don’t think so.”

 

He seemed to want to groan but he held it in and stumbled forward in explaining that. “Uh, well, it’s when a couple-married, more than often but sometimes just committed-switch partners.”

 

“Sexual partners, I’m assuming.”

 

“Uh…uh huh.”

 

He was already blushing again when she said the world sexual. It was a little frustrating. If only he’d have a much different reaction instead.

 

“Okay. So they sleep with other people’s partners? That's it?”

 

“Exactly. And usually this is set up in a very organized and timely matter. It’s built on trust and a code of ethics that this is for fun, no strings attached, no feelings…and that barely ever works, but when it does, it’s pretty fuckin’ fantastic.”

 

He clamped his mouth shut after that and Shuri couldn’t help but giggle.

 

“I’m assuming you’ve done some swinging, then?” she asks, because she’s curious as hell about his sex life pre-HYDRA, and even a little about it post-decommissioning. He’s had a few girlfriends and he and M’Baku had something going on for a few months about a year ago but they never talked about it. Shuri just knew that whenever Bucky was brought up in council meetings, the Jabari leader kept his eyes to the floor and had she pressed her hand to his cheek, it probably would have been burning. Okoye had the scoop on that, but she wasn’t telling. She wondered if she could pull it out of her sister in law instead. She’d have to remember to ask about it.

 

“I uh…look, you wanted to know what a key party is, yeah? Quit askin’ extra questions.”

 

“Fine, Ingucka,” she drawled, pretending to be irritated but loving how he seemed almost relieved. Bast he was so cute when he was all worked up like that.

 

“Anyway, Princess,” he returned, punctuating her title like he did when she was, in fact, being a brat. “Key parties work on that principle. But the kicker is that it’s a bit more random as to who’s swingin’ with whom. All the folks drivin’ drop their keys into a bucket at the beginning of the party. You spend the evening hanging out, watching a game, or playing pool. Whatever. And at the end of the night, the partners not driving-usually the women, but not always-pick up a random key. Whoever it matches with, is who they’re goin’ home with.”

 

He pauses and lets that sink in and when the realization of what happens after that dawns on her face, he leans back and moves to pick his pad up, clearly done with the conversation.

 

She isn’t, though.

 

“That sounds like it could be a mess.”

 

“Yeah, well…that’s why you vet everyone involved.”

 

“Can people go back on who they wanna hook up with?”

 

He shrugs. “I guess so? Consent is pretty important, so yeah. If someone decides they don’t wanna mess around with a certain person, then I guess…I mean, it’s never happened.”

 

Her eyes light up with that opening. “How many of these have you done?” she almost squeaks, and he groans.

 

“Is that really important? Shuri, stop lookin’ so damn scandalized. I didn’t tell you this so you’d act like a kid about it.”

 

That sobered her a little and she straightened in her seat.

 

“Of course not. Sorry. But…okay, so…say you drive. You put your keys in the bucket.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“And…I don’t know, name someone. Who usually comes to these key parties?”

 

Bucky frowns. “Princess, I can’t tell you that. That’s a breach of-“

 

“I’m not gonna say a word, I promise!”

 

He narrows his eyes and searches hers for any sort of duplicity but finds not a one.

 

“Alright…fine. I trust you.”

 

He says that in a soft voice that makes her feel warm inside. He does trust her. She may be one of the few people in the world he’s ever really trusted, and she doesn’t take that sort of trust lightly. She tries to look as serious and nonchalant as possible; she needs him to know that no matter how much she wants to hide her mouth and giggle, this isn’t anything that farfetched or weird. She’s an adult, she can handle hearing about this.

 

“Uh…most of the Avengers. The Guardians, minus Rocket and Groot. The Asgardian gang. I’ve even seen that Deadpool guy and his buddies, too. And you know Matt Murdoc?”

 

“The lawyer?”

 

“Yeah, he moonlights as Daredevil. Anyway, sometimes he’ll bring his buddy Foggy along and whatever chick he’s interested in at the moment and if he and his ex are on good terms, she’ll come along too. Karen. Her name’s Karen. She’s dating that Frank Castle guy, but I don’t think it’s that serious. Anyway. Yeah, that’s about it.”

 

Shuri takes all this in and for a long moment, she imagines a party-at Stark’s place more than likely-of superheroes and crime fighters and vigilantes all drinking and talking and then going home to fuck each other’s spouses by the end of the evening. It’s intriguing. She grins then.

 

“Sam too?”

 

Bucky’s grin actually matches hers. “We had to pull teeth to get him there, but yeah. Sam. And Stevie. Which sort of blew my mind but…”

 

“Wait…Captain America likes to swing?”

 

When he nods, she blows out a breath and then she imagines a taller, curvier version of herself at one of those parties, picking up the keys to Steve’s blue Volkswagen and dangling it in front of one of the most beautiful men she’d seen besides Bucky. The latter seems more relaxed talking about this and she pats herself on the back for holding it together like she has. She asks another question, making sure her tone is casual though interested.

 

“So…who all have you gone home with?”

 

He sits back and thinks for a moment. “I haven’t been to that many key parties, Shuri,” he says, a bit of humor in his voice. “You know I was seeing Akade for a while, yeah?”

 

She hadn’t known they were seeing each other, only that Akade had gotten to dip her toes into the pond that was James Barnes and though she loved the Dora Milaje like the good friend she was, she’d been ridiculously jealous. She hadn’t let it show, though.

 

“Uh…yeah. She mentioned something about it.”

 

“Okay, so though she had no issue with it, I didn’t really want to do anything like that when she wasn’t around. And she almost never comes on detail with us-“

 

“If I’d have known the two of you were that serious, I would have petitioned T’Challa to have her put on.”

 

He shakes his hand dismissively. He didn’t seem that upset about their little dalliance coming to an end, so Shuri assumed it hadn’t been as serious as she’d thought. And he confirms it hadn’t.

 

“Nah, we uh…it wasn’t that serious. Just kinda getting to know each other. That’s it. We’re still friends, though. She’s moved on to someone else and I don’t really have the time for dating.”

 

Shuri thinks of how that may very well be her fault. She’d gotten clearance to leave Wakanda as much as she thought she was prudent to promote the country’s interests as well as the sciences in underprivileged areas and had ran with it. She was almost always gone nowadays, and Bucky had to come along with her. He had never once complained, though. She assumed he liked the travel.

 

“Well, anyway. Back to our initial conversation. Your partners…if you don’t mind spilling the beans.”

 

“Ah well…uh.”

 

“I won’t judge. Promise.”

 

He nods again and takes in a breath and then rattles off a list of lovers that makes her eyes widen as he goes on.

 

“Stevie. Of course, I think you may have known that. Sam, Nat a few times, Pepper. She’s…really fun. Sweet lady. Rhodey. That man can kiss, goddamn.” He chuckles and Shuri blinks stupidly. “Gamora and Peter at the same time because there was an uneven number and honestly that was a good night. That girl’s good with a strap on.”

 

Shuri coughs at the mention of that and presses cool hands to her flushed cheeks but she keeps silent.

 

“Tony.”

 

“I thought you hated-“

 

“I thought _he_ hated _me_. We actually spent most of the night talkin’. That was…that was good, you know?”

 

“Huh.”

 

“I know, right? He didn’t fuck me till that mornin’. After breakfast. Sucked me off in the kitchen while I ate pancakes. He makes pretty decent pancakes. Then he took me back to his room and...well, you know.”

 

“Bast alive…”

 

Bucky snorted and threw her a look that told her he knew exactly how he was affecting her. Maybe this was his payback for her being a nosy little shit. She’d take it though. It was both incredibly interesting and really fun.

 

“And I think that’s it? Oh, yeah. You know Thor?”

 

Shuri’s eyes got big as saucers. “You slept with Thor?”

 

He shakes his head, chuckled as he did so. “Nah, but that’s on my bucket list. That man is…goddamn.”

 

“Goddamn, indeed,” she says in agreement, biting her lip. “I’d pay good money-“

 

“He’d probably split your little ass in two, sugar,” Bucky choked out, laughing, and Shuri glared at him.

 

“I know for a fact that he’s a perfect gentleman and a sweetheart. He’d do no such thing.”

 

“Uh huh.”

 

“He wouldn’t!”

 

She didn’t think he would, but truth be told, she wasn’t that put off by the idea that he could. There was something about a man that big and that strong who could do so much damage but probably wouldn’t.

 

“Okay. Anyway. Not Thor. And not his wife, either, though she’s a stunner. Queen Sif? Gorgeous. But his sister in law, Brunnhilde. Yeah, me and her had a good time.”

 

“Oh, she’s so pretty. And a lot of fun, too.”

 

“She’s a fuckin’ riot. And an absolute beauty. Like, I know you’ve met her a few times, but you haven’t really just gotten to hang out have you?”

 

Shuri shakes her head. “Sadly, no. Our schedules never align up. She’s a princess, though, so I’ve been interested in a luncheon or something for the two of us.”

 

“You should,” Bucky said. “You’d love her.” He paused and then hummed low in his throat. “You’re not into women, are you?”

 

She shrugged. “I…don’t know? I really haven’t tried anything with anyone. I kissed Nakiye when we were 17 but that’s been about it.” That hadn’t really gone anywhere for her, but Nakiye was currently engaged to a woman from the mining tribe, so whatever bit of experimenting they’d done had worked out well for her. And Shuri was almost 22 and still single with three lousy lays under her belt. She deserved better.

 

“Ah, well, don’t worry about it then. Forget I mentioned anything about it.”

 

She rolls her eyes for real this time but doesn’t groan or sigh. She settles for a sharp breath. “Anyway. Is that all?”

 

“That’s it.”

 

“That’s a lot, Bucky.”

 

He shakes his head. “It’s really not. And they’re people I’m familiar with. It’s not like I’m out there just sleeping with anybody.”

 

“There’s nothing wrong with that if you are. I just-“

 

“You wanna live vicariously through me, don’t you?”

 

Shuri bit her tongue because she was a breath away from confessing that she really wanted to fuck him and had for a long time. Instead, she waved her hands around as if it were no big deal. “Maybe. I don’t get much action, in case you haven’t noticed.”

 

He swept his eyes from the top of her head to her foot and it both unsettled and aroused her. “Yeah. I’ve noticed. You gotta get out there and put yourself on the line, sugar. You can’t sit in a lab all day and expect anyone to wanna take you out.”

 

“Unfortunately, even if I put myself out there, so to speak, I’d have a difficult time finding anyone to take me out. I’m not…I’m…”

 

“You’re a princess,” he finished, his voice sympathetic. “And a very protected one at that. Maybe I oughta ease up on the intimidation tactics. Might help you get a date. Then you can quit asking me about my sex life.”

 

She can’t stop her giggle at that.

 

“Probably not. It’s so damned interesting.”

 

“It’s really not. I’m a bore, most of the time. Except for key parties. And then I let my hair down.”

 

She raises a brow, about to comment that his hair is always down except for when he puts it up in a bun, but he gets up from his chair, glancing at the kimoyos he wears. It’s late and they’ve got to leave first thing in the morning if she’s going to make the seminar at NYU tomorrow.

 

“Alright, Princess. Off to bed. We gotta get going early tomorrow and you’re a damn grouch without enough sleep.”

 

Shuri scoffed. “I am not. I’m only a grouch without enough caffeine. Sleep can wait.” But she yawned, mooting her point, and really, a few extra hours wouldn’t hurt. She could feel her bed calling already.

 

He didn’t talk anymore about the key party on the ride back to the palace, but she knew he was contemplating if whether telling her was a good idea or not. And then, right as they pulled into the parking garage, she wondered about Brunnhilde and the dynamics within her marriage that even allowed her to do such a thing. Were all the older Avengers a bunch of swingers? She yawned again and decided to poke at Bucky once more, hoping he’d answer her final query.

 

“Uh…yeah? I guess? None of us seem to have an issue with it.”

 

“I mean, she’s married.”

 

“She is. Loki doesn’t seem to care, though. I wouldn’t know.”

 

Loki…she didn’t know much at all about Loki and had only seen him from afar. The brief time they’d spent in Wakanda, he’d been either hiding or avoiding everyone. There were rumors about some of the awful things he’d seen before the Asgardians had landed on Earth, and that it’d taken a toll on him mentally. But she didn’t put a lot of stock in rumors. He was an enigma, though, that was for sure. And now she was actually really curious about him.

 

“Why?”

 

He grabbed his backpack and locked the car door, then gestured for her to walk ahead of him. Even in the safety of her home and in the quiet of the night, he was on his guard.

 

“Hell, he never comes to any of these things. It’s usually just Hilde and sometimes Thor and Sif.”

 

That was a bit odd, but perhaps that’s just how things worked. She wouldn’t worry too much about how other people conducted their marriages when she didn’t have one of her own. But it wouldn’t stop her from being curious about it.

 

So she wasn’t surprised when she dreamed about being at a key party that night. She wasn’t even surprised that she dreamed of picking her own key from the bucket, or that she wandered about the party, glamorous and sexy and grown, and found her partner for the night. She was, though, a little startled that her partner wasn’t Bucky, like she’d always expected, but Loki Odinson, Prince of Asgard.

 

He’d turned then, his cool blue eyes watching her with interest, his figure tall and imposing but non threatening. And he’s grinned then, nearly setting her aflame with how much seduction oozed off him before she woke up with a soft gasp and a throbbing between her thighs.

 

That was weird.

 

Loki wasn’t exactly her type, or, she didn’t think he was. She preferred the brawny guys-ones like Bucky and Steve and Sam and Thor. She’d even thought Tony Stark was pretty hot in that old guy sort of way. She’d seen him without sleeves before in a pic T’Challa had shown her during some downtime at Stark’s resort in Thailand. Nice arms, good and ripped.

 

But from the pictures she’d seen, Loki was thin, though tall, and wiry and not at all what she’d usually deem attractive. He wasn’t exactly ugly, no, that was for sure. Granted, she hadn’t really paid him much attention, either. And so after washing up and putting on her clothes for the day, making sure her bags were sufficiently packed for a week abroad, she plopped down on her bed and scrolled around on the internet to look for recent photos of Earth’s favorite alien war criminal.

 

He looked a mess in most of them, dark circles under his eyes and slicked back greasy black hair. Of course, they were old photos of his failed conquest of New York and nothing recent; although the press liked talking about the Avengers and their associates regularly, they seemed to dance around and avoid talking about Thor’s younger brother. There were even pictures of Brunnhilde at various functions with her brother in law and with Queen Sif, who was just as pretty as Bucky had said. But none of Loki past 2012. It was a little odd.

 

She didn’t have much time to dwell on that before there was a knock on her door and Folami was peeking her head inside.

 

“We’re all ready to go if you are, your Highness,” the Dora Milaje said with a soft smile.

 

“I’m good to go. Let me grab my things.”

 

They wheeled her two suitcases and a weekender down the corridor and up the ramp of her craft, a sleek black and purple ship she called the Alpha. In actuality, it was Bucky’s ship as he was the one who usually flew it on his various missions, but he refused to acknowledge it as his own. She’d stopped trying to convince him that she’d built the thing for him and took it as her own instead, though she still liked to think that they shared it. He insisted he only borrowed it.

 

As usual, he was already in the pilot’s seat, bright eyed and ready to roll and she couldn’t help but laugh at how chipper he seemed about heading to his hometown. Shuri figured it was a combination of seeing old friends again, and probably the upcoming key party.

 

She wasn’t invited, she remembered, and it soured her just a little. Perhaps she could change that, though.

 

“Mornin’, sugar,” he quipped, greeting her like he always did. No one paid any attention to his little terms of endearment anymore. He called everyone sugar, or doll, or darling because that’s just how he was. But it still made her feel a little bit special, so she graced him with a lovely smile.

 

“Morning. I have a feeling you’ve been up for hours and hours already, haven’t you?”

 

He grinned and nodded. “First crack of dawn. It’s an old habit. I never sleep in, you know that.”

 

“It’s so nice too, though,” she insisted, smothering a yawn as she sat down in one of the cushy seats of the jet. “You should try it once. It would help you cut down on all the glaring you do.”

 

Bucky laughed and prepared for takeoff. “Uh, yeah, well all that glarin’ is for your protection.”

 

“You’re so much cuter when you smile, though.”

 

She pressed her lips shut at that little confession and watched as color creeped up the back of his neck.

 

“You think I’m cute?”

 

“Nope.”

 

He grinned, winking at Folami who tried and failed to cover a giggle. “Yeah ya do.”

 

She groaned and sank further into the cushions, refusing to answer him. “Shut up.”

 

She was sure that people could hear his laughter all the way to New York.

 

* * *

 

The seminar was a success, as usual, and she left the university in high spirits. She’d begin her weeklong tenure that Monday as scheduled, and she was most definitely looking forward to it. Shuri had plans to explore more of New York and was dragging Folami and Biye along with her, out of Dora uniform in regular civilian clothes. There was shopping to do, museums to wander about in, and food to eat, so she put on her most comfortable shoes and grabbed her credit card, prepared to haul bag after bag back to the hotel.

 

Bucky, of course, trailed along behind them.

 

Sometimes Shuri felt bad that he had to be at her beck and call, but most often than not, he seemed to enjoy their outings as well. And today was no exception. He stood sigil outside of her dressing room, held the various items she tried on without complaint, and even helped her pick out a new pair of combat boots for the winter coming up. All in all, it was a fun day and as they sat outside at a small café, eating lunch and chatting, she had mostly forgotten all about the key party.

 

That was until Bucky got a text, glanced down at it, and then grinned. When he met her curious gaze, he smiled apologetically.

 

“Got an appointment in about an hour or so, so…”

 

“Back to the hotel,” Folami said, almost too cheerfully, as if she was looking forward to the crappy television shows and the lack of fresh air. Shuri glanced her way for a moment and figured that she probably was more interested in the jacuzzi tub in her and Biye’s suite than the television. And there was always pay per view and room service. The two Dora would probably have the pampering session of their lives when they got back to the hotel.

 

Shuri, on the other hand, would be bored and miserable with nothing much to do but read or scroll through her Instagram or bother one of her cousins in the group chat. She wanted to do something exciting. And a key party sounded just like the thing.

 

She kept her desires to herself until they stepped off the elevator and the Dora nodded as they exited to their own suite, leaving Bucky and Shuri alone as he accompanied her across the hall to her own. His room was attached to hers though separated by a doorway that she’d yet to unlock.  It was odd having him that close at night but still far enough away that she could pretend she was truly all alone. She had a brief thought of creeping into his room at night and crawling into bed with him, just to see if he’d kick her out upon waking, but realized that was a little creepy and shook the thought away. Bucky slipped the key card inside the lock and then opened her door slowly, entering first to make sure nothing was amiss and then waving her inside. She toed off her sneakers and sat down on the bed with a sigh.

 

“Alright, so…I’ll try and be back before the morning. I usually don’t stay overnight most of the time.” He moved toward the large windows of her room and glanced outside at the warm New York late afternoon, setting all her bags on the table beside it. Shuri was still amused at how many of those he could carry.

 

“And if I need you?”

 

“Just call. I mean, I might be a little preoccupied, but…I’ll answer.”

 

She pressed her lips together and worked up the courage to put forth her question, wishing the thought of asking him didn’t make her feel so nervous. What was the worse he could say? No?

 

“Okay. Well. Um.”

 

He turned to her then, watching in anticipation of what she was going to say.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I just wondered...can I come with you?”

 

He blinked at her for a very long moment and then frowned, so deep, she thought he’d permanently crease his forehead.

 

“Nuh uh. Nope. It’s one thing for me to tell you about this. It’s a whole ‘nother animal to actually let you come along. And besides, you weren’t invited.”

 

She pouted. She couldn’t help it, the idea of not being invited at least rankling her for no real reason other than the fact that she was tired of being excluded. Technically, she wasn’t an Avenger, she knew, but that didn’t mean anything. She was certain half the people at the party weren’t Avengers either. She was adjacent. That was good enough.

 

“Which is a travesty, really, and should be remedied, but I’m sure Tony Stark just forgot.”

 

“Why would he forget? He wouldn’t have even considered you.” Well damn. She winced a little at how blunt he was.

 

“But why?”

 

Bucky gawked at her as if it was blatantly obvious. “You’re too young, first of all. There’s no kids at those kinds of parties. None. There’s age limits and vetting done, you gotta have an invite and fill out applications-“

 

“Bullshit,” she grumbled. “You just don’t want me to come along. As if you’re going to expose me to some sacred secret rituals or something.”

 

“It’s not like that,” he said, still frowning. “And secondly, your brother would kill me and Tony both if he ever knew I even told you about those parties, much less bring you to one.”

 

“I said I wouldn’t tell!” she insisted. “I won’t! I don’t even have to pull a key, Bucky. Maybe I just want to come and hang out. I can find my way back to the room after everyone pairs up and then-“

 

“No.”

 

“But why? I really don’t think I’m that young.” She really wasn’t. If the serving of alcohol was the issue, she’d pass that little milestone last year. But Bucky would’t budge.

 

“No.”

 

“Buck-“

 

“I said no,” he grits out, his face suddenly very serious and she knows now not to even try and press him any further. She’s not scared of him by any means, but he’ll just clam up and get mad at her for pushing and then be a jerk all week. He means what he says when he’s like this. And it’s aggravating to have that sort of single minded stubbornness focused on her instead of someone else.

 

So she doesn’t say anything else. Instead, with her face hot with embarrassment and a little anger, she grabbed hold of the comforter beneath her and steadies her breathing, paying no attention to the fact that Bucky’s left her alone and that he’s in his own room now, rifling through his things as he grumbles under his breath.

 

Bast, she hates this. She hates it so much. She’s not a goddamn kid. She’s an _adult_.

 

“Hey.”

 

She didn’t turn her head to even acknowledge him for a while, but figured doing that is pretty childish so she forced herself to look at him. She keeps her face neutral, makes sure he can’t tell that she’s still sore about how quickly he’d shut her down.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Shuri raised a brow. What did he have to be sorry about? If he didn’t want her around, well, he didn’t.

 

“Okay.”

 

“If you want me to stay here tonight, I can renege my spot. I can. It’s not a big deal. I didn’t think that maybe you didn’t wanna be alone, or whatever.”

 

He sounds so very sweet when he says it and it just pisses her off further. She’s not lonely. No, not at all. She just wants to feel included and sexy and cool. And she never does because nobody will fucking allow it.

 

“I’m not going to feel alone,” she said blankly. “I just wanted to see what you were getting up to. It’s not matter. I don’t care anymore.” She doesn’t. She swears she’s over it already. But by the look on his face, he’s not convinced.

 

“You realize that I have no real say over this, right?”

 

“You have more power than you like to assign yourself. You simply don’t want to take it.”

 

He rolled his eyes. “Uh, no. I’m under command by the crown-your brother, by the way-to keep you safe, protected, and healthy. That’s my job. I take it seriously because without him, I’d be dead or worse.”

 

She wanted to ask what could possibly be worse than dead but she knows. She’s seen his memories; she’s seen how he’d been tortured to the limit of human capacity and then put back together so they could break him. She shuddered involuntarily at the thought and he nods.

 

“Yeah. So look. I owe him a big one.” He kneeled in front of her and searched her eyes and he looks so sincere. It’s wearing her anger down until she’s mostly just frustrated. “I owe you a big one, too. I owe you so much. I’m not gonna take you some place I’m not sure you’ll be welcome. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

 

“I’m a big girl, James,” she mumbled, and he sighed at the use of his first name. She only ever called him James when she was angry and she was almost never angry with him. “Anyone not happy with my presence can say so and I can leave.” She shrugged again. “It’s no matter, like I said. I’m not interested anymore.”

 

“Nah, you are,” he argued, getting up and crossing his arms as he watches her. “You wouldn’t be poutin’ like that if you weren’t. Why are you so curious, though? It’s a sex party, Shuri. You’re not interested in all that nasty shit.”

 

He said it like there’s absolutely no reason she’d ever be interested in something like that, as if she had no use for her sexuality, as if she were some pure innocent childlike cherub who’d only ever been kissed or held hands and still giggled at the proper names for genitalia. And it dawned on her that was all he saw. That was all anyone ever saw her as; sweet, innocent, pure Princess Shuri.

 

To anyone who mattered, she had no sex appeal. She had no needs or desires or wants. She was a baby. She almost wanted to cry again.

 

“Yeah. I guess,” she settled for saying and that seemed to satisfy him.

 

“Look, when I get there, I’ll ask Stark what that Parker kid is up to and maybe you guys can go catch a movie. My treat.”

 

_I don’t need you to treat me. I don’t want to hang out with Peter Parker. He’s probably fucking his girlfriend right now, like most young adults._

 

“Okay. That’d be cool.”

 

She forced her face into a soft smile and took the hand he offered her and when he pulled her up and into a hug, she didn’t slink away from him or stiffen. She pretended. She was good at that.

 

But when the door closed and he was gone, leaving her alone in the quiet of her luxe hotel suite, she stopped pretending and let her guard down, burying her face in the pillows and hating how jealous and angry she was right now.

 

Bucky wasn’t hers. He probably never would be. Why did she even care? He didn’t want her.

 

Another hour passed before she managed to crawl out of bed and take a shower. The hot water calmed her a bit as did the steady stream, and by the time she’d moisturized and changed into her pajamas, she didn’t feel half as angry, either at herself nor at Bucky. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized she wasn’t angry so much at Bucky as she was at herself. She hadn’t been doing much to assert her maturity, so she couldn’t really expect anyone to think she was a grown up.

 

Of course, that didn’t really explain why nobody wanted her, but she didn’t want to dwell on that anymore.

 

She fiddled around with the TV for a while, settling on a Hallmark movie while she scrolled around her social media feeds and played a few games. There was absolutely nothing else to do; everyone from back home was probably asleep or out on the town and here she was, in PJ’s in bed at 7 pm, moping about how she wasn’t invited or included or wanted. It was pathetic, but what else could she do? Bother her mom, maybe, but she was pretty sure Ramonda was preoccupied herself. And she didn’t want T’Challa thinking Bucky wasn’t doing his job.

 

In fact, she didn’t want her brother knowing anything about what Bucky was doing. It dawned on her that maybe that’s why he was so cagey about the whole thing. He had no idea about any of the key parties and didn’t want Shuri around anything like that and so Bucky had to play it safe.

 

She could forgive him for that. Maybe.

 

Thinking of Bucky made her think of what he was probably doing now. Possibly drinking a beer or laughing along with Sam Wilson about something or cozying up to Natasha or any of the others at the party. The jealousy inside her started to swell once more and she huffed, flopping backward into the pillows and doggedly tore her mind from that line of thought. And just as she was about to say screw it and actually just go to sleep, she got a message.

 

She tapped her kimoyos and pulled up Bucky’s text.

 

❤ Bucky ❤  
  
**Yesterday** 10:15 PM  
LOL sure sugar, sure. Nighty night, see you first thing.  
**Today** 9:05 PM  
Here’s that number, sugar. Hope you guys can have a good time tonight. I’ll take you to breakfast tomorrow, promise.  
555-451-8878  


 

She had no plans till Monday, but the idea of eating breakfast after Bucky had spent the night fucking someone else didn’t make her feel the least bit better. She was fairly certain he’d forget anyway, and by the time he came slinking in, she wouldn’t even have an appetite. Of course, none of that would matter to Bucky. He didn’t seem to know that she had a hopeless crush. And why would he? She hadn’t really said anything. She’d thrown hint here and there, but never right out confessed. She couldn’t. She didn’t want to be rejected in that sweet, sad eyed way she knew he would.

 

She was getting sidetracked.

 

She typed the number into the phone she used while in the States and sent a quick text to who she assumed was Peter Parker.

 

Peter P  
  
**Today** 9:08 PM  
Hey Peter, this is Shuri. I was wondering if you were free tonight? Maybe we could catch a late movie or something. Ask MJ and let me know. Thanks!   


 

It didn’t sound nearly as enthusiastic as she wanted, but it was something. She had no problem with Parker, liked him quite a bit, but he was three years younger and it showed almost all the time. MJ, his girlfriend, was a bit more level headed, but even she had a young streak about her that grated at times. And if they weren’t making out or acting like teenagers, they were probably at Ned Leeds’ apartment playing video games and watching vine compilations.

 

Shuri didn’t mind vines but watching the same ones over and over got old. Fast.

 

That was better than nothing, though, so it would work. And she didn’t want to bother the Dora, who she knew were probably preoccupied with each other and didn’t want to be interrupted. So she thought of simply slipping away, the way she’d done before when Bucky had been gone on an “errand” and she was alone in her hotel room.

 

He hadn’t been on an errand, she knows now. He’d been at a key party. Ugh.

 

She tapped around on her phone again and waited, glancing at it every so often to see if she’d get a response but minutes passed and nothing. Angry that even the younger kids had rejected her, she turned over and buried her face in the pillow and screamed, trying hard not to cry, trying harder not to let the weight of her title and her genius and the fact that she was lonely and sick of it wear on her too much. But she was tired.

 

So she cried.

 

By the time her sobs had dwindled into soft sniffles, it was dark. And she realized, as she lay in bed with tear streaked cheeks and an empty feeling in her chest, her phone was vibrating. Only this time it wouldn’t stop so she reached over blindly and answered.

 

“’Ello.”

 

“This is the Princess Shuri, I’m assuming.”

 

It was stated as a fact and not as a question and the voice was unfamiliar. A little spike of fear stirred in her gut and her first reaction was to sprint across the hall to Folami and Biye’s room, or tap her beads to get Bucky. But something made her pause.

 

Later, she would realize it was simply how sexy the voice on the other end was.

 

“Uh…who’s this?”

 

There was a soft, nearly breathless chuckle, but the voice that followed was deep and rich and a lot like velvet. She sucked in a breath and leaned on every word.

 

“I’m afraid you called me first, darling. Though I think you may have assumed I was someone else. Young Parker and I have similar cell phone numbers, but you must have gotten them transposed. His is 8887, not 8878.”

 

“Oh. Well, uh. I’m sorry.”

 

“Not a problem. Was there a message you’d like to relay to him? I can probably get in touch for you.”

 

She paused. She didn’t even know who this was. Whoever it was, though, they were familiar with or even friends with Peter. Her mind went through a million and one possibilities and then she came up with the most unlikely of people she could have called.

 

“I uh…is this Loki?” She had no idea he sounded like that. If she had, she probably would have reached out sooner.

 

“The one and only.”

 

She snorted. “Why didn’t you just say so?”

 

“I wanted to know if you could guess. Took you far longer than I’d thought.”

 

Shuri rolled her eyes but sat up and wiped her face. “Yeah, well. I was a little…preoccupied.”

 

“Ah. Don’t tell me the tears you’ve spent were for Parker?”

 

She pulled her phone from her ear and glanced the screen again. “How did you know I was crying?” she asked, glancing around her room for any sign of an intruder. She sniffled then, though, and figured out she probably sounded like she’d been crying. “Nevermind. I figured it out. Do you happen to know where he is, though? I was looking to see if he wanted to hang out.“

 

“He’s probably somewhere causing a ruckus with that girlfriend of his. Fun girl, really, but occasionally I need a break from them all.”

 

“Uh. Yeah, same.” Because she wasn’t a teenager, not at all. “And I wasn’t crying over Peter.” She was crying over Bucky, but she didn’t want to admit that, especially to a stranger. Wasn’t Loki a stranger? She was sort of friendly with his really attractive brother, but she didn’t know a thing about Loki personally.

 

Somehow, that excited her.

 

“Oh, good. He’s a nice boy. I don’t think he’d ever intentionally hurt anyone. Which is a pity. He’s got such an incredible mind. And he’s got the means.”

 

He sighs as if it’s a waste and Shuri can’t help but be amused. She figured she should find it odd that she’s having a conversation with a convicted war criminal about using powers for evil instead of good, but she doesn’t. She’s probably had weirder convos with her cousins.

 

“He’s alright.”

 

“You aren’t particularly impressed by him, then.”

 

“I didn’t say I was or wasn’t. I mean, it’s just a simple statement. He’s alright.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

She grinned in spite of how crummy she’d been feeling earlier. “Are you getting offended, Loki?” Bucky had told her how much Peter had taken to Loki. It was probably one of the reasons anyone had anything to do with him now.

 

He chuckled again, this one a little louder, a little richer. “I appreciate that you call me Loki and not Mr. Loki. Or your Highness. Or Reindeer Games. I don’t even know what that is.”

 

“Neither do I but I’m guessing Tony Stark is to blame.”

 

“Stark is…interesting.”

 

“That’s one way to describe him.” She wiggled her toes in her socks and listened to the traffic outside, the hum of the A/C in her room. And she realized she didn’t feel badly at all anymore.

 

And then, she got a brilliant idea.

 

“Hey, Loki?”

 

“Yes, Princess.”

 

“You can call me Shuri. I like that better.” _I like it when you say my name_ , she wanted to add, but she refrained.

 

“Alright. Shuri.” Ah. There it was. She sucked in a sharp breath and tried not to let it affect her too much; he wasn’t even that cute. “What is your query?”

 

This could go one of two ways; he could turn her down and she’d be left alone again, the way she’d assumed she’d be anyway. Or, he could say yes to her idea and she’d actually have something to do that night. There wasn’t a whole lot to lose, either way.

 

“I haven’t a thing to do. I’m bored out of my mind and my bodyguard…you know James Barnes, yeah?”

 

“I do. A friend of my wife’s, actually, but we’re acquainted.”

 

She didn’t miss how he said friend, and now she was even more curious about how that little setup worked out. Maybe she could ask. He seemed to like talking, and she definitely liked hearing.

 

“Okay, well he’s uh…out.”

 

“He’s at Stark’s key party, yes. I wasn’t invited, you know. But I just accompanied my Hilde to the location and now I’m wandering about, trying to find something to do that doesn’t involve being dreadfully bored.”

 

He didn’t sound upset at all about it, just matter of fact. And maybe a little annoyed.

 

“Same here! We’re literally in the same boat, so to speak. So. I was thinking, you and me could maybe sorta get together and do something? You know, a movie if you’re into that-“

 

“My therapist says it’s not good for me to attend cinema showings in closed theaters, so probably not.”

 

“Oh…uh, do you have…you know? PTSD?”

 

She could sympathize. She’d exhibited some of those symptoms after her Baba died and after N’Jadaka’s short lived coup. Fortunately for her, she’d gotten help in a timely fashion. It was nice to know that Loki was getting help himself. If any of what she’d heard via third party was true, he’d needed something like therapy for a very, very long time. And extensive therapy as well.

 

“That’s what I’ve been told, yes.”

 

“Oh. Okay, I’m sorry. I had that too.”

 

“Had, as in…you managed to recover?”

 

“Uh huh. I think I did, anyway.” She slipped away from the bed and cradled her phone between her shoulder and cheek, digging her larger suitcase out the closet to find something to wear. She didn’t know if she should try and impress the Prince of Asgard or just be herself. She settled on the latter; he didn’t seem like the kind of guy to need to be impressed.

 

“That is actually promising. Thank you.” And he sounded genuinely grateful. “As to your query, yes, I’d be honored to spend the evening with you if you want. I’m certain we can find some mischief to get into.” She even liked the way he said _mischief_. It was sultry. “Shall we meet somewhere? I’m assuming you know your way around this dirty city.”

 

She giggled at that. New York was pretty grimy, especially in relation to Birnin Zana. She liked it anyway, though.

 

“I do, a little. I’m staying at the Park Hyatt, if you’re familiar with the area.”

 

“I am. How about I meet you in the lobby? I’m not too far away and you’ve probably got to get freshened up. I’ll call whenever I’m downstairs.”

 

She smiled, slinging clothes over her shoulder and skipping into the bathroom to wash her face and put on a little makeup. There was that familiar thread of excitement and adrenaline that stirred in her belly when she snuck out alone. She could get in so much hot water for this, but she didn’t care. She needed this. She was _owed_ this.

 

“Sounds great! I’ll see you soon. Thanks, Loki.”

 

He hung up without another word and she stared at her reflection in the mirror, the red in her eyes both irritating and unattractive. Why had she even been crying? She had a date now-a friend date, of course, if you could call Loki a friend. But it was something to do and he sounded really interesting on the phone. So maybe the night wouldn’t be a bust after all.

 

She unzipped her makeup bag, put a little music on, and started getting dolled up for her night out with the God of Mischief.

 

* * *

 

He called, approximately thirty minutes after hanging up, to let her know he was in the lobby. She grabbed her small purse and made sure her door was secure before taking the elevator down to the bar, where she saw a tall, trim figure in all black leaning against the wall.

 

And she realized, as she stepped out of the elevator in her cushy sandals and cute little skater dress, that she was actually rather nervous. This wasn’t just a night out with a stranger. This was leaving the safety of her Dora detail and the expensive hotel she was spending the week at with a dangerous, deadly alien. He’d killed before, threatened her world before, had nearly succeeded in enslaving humanity under his thumb and she was tiptoeing out the door and into the unknown with him.

 

It just made everything all the more exciting.

 

He heard her coming before she could call to him and when he turned, she found herself short of breath. Whatever she’d seen on pictures, on the internet, whatever photos she’d scoured from Peter Parker’s Facebook completely and utterly paled in comparison to what she was looking at in front of her.

 

The first thing she noticed, besides how incredibly tall he was, was his eyes. They weren’t just blue; they were a mix of blue and green and seemed to shift between each hue ever so often. He had long, dark lashes, black as midnight that matched the long fall of wavy onyx hair that fell past his shoulders. And his cheekbones, sharp and pronounced like a model’s, could have cut glass. He was stunning, really. And he was pale, too, remarkably so, but it worked for him. If she squinted, it looked like he glimmered.

 

With a wordless smile, he offered her his hand-long, elegant and smooth hands, and she took one, marveling that they weren’t nearly as dainty as they appeared. There was a roughness about them too, little calluses and nicks probably from using those daggers she’d heard he favored. And they were strong, from the grip he had on her palm and how he lifted it to his lips to kiss. His lips were _cool_. That was the neatest thing! He had cool lips. She entertained a fantasy of his cool lips on her warm ones and then chided herself for getting so worked up over a kiss to the hand.

 

“You are, in a word, stunning. _Wow_.”

 

His words were honey, thick and sweet and probably a little dangerous too, but she melted into them, though she didn’t let him know it. She simply smiled, as if she knew all of that, and winked.

 

“You’re not too bad yourself,” she quipped and she was rewarded with a beautiful smile of his own. He had sharp teeth. She didn’t know why she needed to catalogue that, but she did for future possible reference. “The pics online made you look like a fright.”

 

“I have half a mind to sue whomever responsible, but I’ve been informed that the internet is a wild mish mash of people and things,” he said, offering her his arm. She took it, feeling very much like a lady when she did so. “Nothing on the internet accurately represents my person. Nothing.” He scoffed and rolled his eyes almost dramatically.

 

“Well, nobody really knows anything about you either,” she offered. “You’re a bit of a mystery.”

 

“I like it that way. I suppose shitty photos of my failed conquest is the price I pay to maintain my aura of mystery.” He grinned and led her out the double doors and onto the sidewalk, careful to make sure she was furthest from the street. It was bustling and busy, people walking here there into restaurants and off to other hotels and condos or to Central Park several blocks over. She took a moment to take it all in, breathing in deep and smiled to herself at the heartbeat of Manhattan.

 

“You seem to like the city.”

 

“I do.”

 

“A bit of a departure from Wakanda, yes?” He paused long enough to decide on a direction and took a left. “From what I saw of your home, it’s far more peaceable.” He looked down at his well-polished shoes and grimaced, stepping into what Shuri could only guess was old gum. She hoped it was, anyway. “And considerably cleaner.”

 

“It’s different, yeah. But isn’t every place? I’ve been to California and it’s completely different there too. Oakland and New York are practically night and day.”

 

He mouthed the name of the city and tilted his head elegantly. He did a lot of things elegantly, she noticed as they walked. His shoulders were straight, his posture perfect, his head held like royalty. And she remembered that he was, in fact, actual royalty, even if his home world had been destroyed and he now presided over a small settlement in Norway instead. But that wasn’t anything to sneeze at; the settlement there had flourished and grown, people from various other countries and planets expanding the borders out until it nearly qualified for country hood. T’Challa had mentioned that Thor was thinking of applying soon, making his people actual citizens of Earth.

 

That would include Loki, which was probably the hold up on the whole thing. But Shuri knew how humanity worked; in about ten years, they’d probably forget all about the whole Battle of New York. Tumblr never would, of course, but people on Tumblr didn’t really count anyway.

 

“I haven’t had the pleasure of venturing to the western coast of this country.”

 

“Then you should go one day. Or,” she said, suddenly thinking of a grand idea, “come with me! I’m off to Oakland next month, if you wanna tag along.”

 

He seemed to consider it for a second. “I may take you up on your offer, if I’m not required elsewhere. I’m usually very busy.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Don’t be disappointed, sweet Shuri,” he said soothingly. “I didn’t say no.”

 

“Yeah, I know. But look, even if you can’t come with me then, I’m always headed out in that direction. Just drop me a line if you want to come and I’ll swing by that way and grab you.”

 

“Thank you. Now, what would you like to do tonight? I don’t imagine that walking about New York talking to me was on your itinerary of plans. What changed?”

 

Shuri stalled for a reason, something innocuous enough that she didn’t look silly for being upset over not getting invited to the key party. Loki hadn’t been invited either, she remembered, and he wasn’t too bothered by it. Then again, Bucky had mentioned that he didn’t seem to care for them and maybe that was how his marriage with Brunnhilde worked; he allowed her to do what she wanted so long as she came home to him. He got companionship, and she got freedom.

 

It sounded like a nice setup in theory, but the romantic in her loved the idea of loving one person all the time. And the fool in her really wanted that person to be Bucky Barnes, but she was going to have to get over that.

 

_He doesn’t want you, Shuri. Remember that._

 

“I simply had nothing better to do,” she settled on.

 

“Hmm.”

 

Of course, he wasn’t buying that at all. And he was incredibly perceptive, she found. His eyes searched her face quickly but seemed to read all he needed to know about why she’d been crying earlier and why she was currently walking down the street with him and not hanging out with anyone else. She didn’t want him to think he was a last resort, though. That was a little cruel and cruel she was not, especially to someone who’d been nothing but gracious to her.

 

“Well, that’s not entirely the truth. But it’s…embarrassing, for a lack of a better word. I don’t really know why I’m irritated about it now. It’s silly.”

 

“It isn’t silly if it’s made you cry, princess,” he said pointedly and maybe he had a point about that. So she shrugged and gave him a little to work with.

 

“Well...it’s about the key party.”

 

“Ah. Yes.”

 

“I mean, it doesn’t bother you that you aren’t invited?”

 

He snorted, not quite as gracefully as she’d imagined he would, and it humanized him a little. “I completely expect to never be invited to these little soirees,” he said. It’s the voice of someone resigned to their fate, of being left out and unwanted but only politely. “The others are all as tolerant of me as one can expect to be of someone who had previous terrorized them. So I can’t say I really blame them.”

 

“Still…it doesn’t make you feel bad? They like for you wife to come along.”

 

“Oh Norns, they practically beg for Hilde to join them. Mostly because she is the life of any good party.” He gave her a soft smile, one that told her just how fond he was of his warrior wife. “So I don’t begrudge anyone who wants to invite her to anything. And it’s good for her. She likes making friends and I like hearing the stories she tells when she comes home.”

 

At the end of the street he waited with the other people for the crosswalk to change and Shuri watched him out the corner of his eye. There was an undercurrent of energy thrumming inside him that drew the eye and for Shuri, her attention. He caught her glancing his way and she dared to keep staring, a slow smile spreading across his face at her obvious adoration.

 

“I’m interested to hear why you’re so upset about your lack of invite,” he said, and just as she opened her mouth to protest otherwise, the crosswalk signaled go and they were walking across the street toward the park.

 

“It’s stupid.”

 

“I’m sure it’s not,” he insisted.

 

It was quiet in the park at dark, only a few people strolling around in the late summer air. That meant she could talk much more freely and didn’t have to worry too much about being watched or seen. It was nice to have no eyes on her, or relatively few, especially when she knew she shouldn’t have been out anyway.

 

And so she thought for awhile on how to explain exactly why she was so annoyed at not being invited. And honestly, it boiled down to two things, which she related to Loki.

 

“I’m jealous.”

 

“That makes sense. Though if you knew how incredibly droll the actual parties are, you wouldn’t be.”

 

“Yeah, but I wanted to find that out for myself,” she said. Long fingers tapped her own in a sort of placating manner and she allowed it. His hands were cool, too, but not unpleasantly so. “And there’s this whole business of me supposedly being too young to go.”

 

“That would be an issue, yes. I believe Stark set the age limits to 25.”

 

Shuri groaned. “Of course he did. I mean, he wouldn’t want his foster son hanging out there, I guess. I’m not related in any way, so I don’t see why he couldn’t make an exception.”

 

Loki gave her a sympathetic, but understanding smile. “I imagine being a princess of a country as lovely as yours means you’re usually accommodated, yes?”

 

Shuri narrowed her eyes but laughed. She couldn’t even take offense to what he said because he was right. “You’re saying I’m a brat.”

 

“Perhaps, perhaps. You remind me of my brother, a bit. When he was younger, he thought the world revolved about him, like the sun does your Earth.” Loki gave a low chuckle, but there was a little sadness there too. “And perhaps the world did revolve around Thor. It’s interesting how things change so quickly and so dramatically.”

 

Shuri thought of her Baba and how the whole world seemed to be in an upheaval when he’d been killed and she nodded.

 

“Yeah…sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I didn’t have to grow up, if I could freeze a moment in time-“

 

“Or perhaps go back and fix things, make them right. I wonder so often I’ve begun to convince myself that I can change what happened.” He shakes his head. “But I can’t. That’s neither here nor there. The issue you’re taking with this exclusion is that you’re not used to being excluded…or is it something else?”

 

He knew it was something else, she reckoned, but he wanted her to tell him. So she indulged him. He was being such a lovely companion. And being that handsome didn’t hurt either.

 

“I’m tired of people thinking I’m a child when I’m not.”

 

“How old are you?”

 

“21. I’ll be 22 in November. So a grown woman, but of course, nobody seems to remember that. Everyone thinks I’m a baby, that I’m…that I’m a sweet little turtle dove who needs coddling and protection. It’s frustrating!”

 

“I would imagine it is. 21 is young, but it’s most definitely not a child. Not by Midgardian standards, of course. You’re of age in practically every country and system I can think of.”

 

“Yeah, tell me about it,” she grumbled. “But nobody sees that! They see how small I am and my baby face and they remember when I was little and they can’t separate that from someone who wants…well..”

 

He stopped in the middle of the walkway and looked at her pointedly so she’d continue.

 

“Who wants what?”

 

Shuri bit her lip and waved her hand around as though she was floundering. And honestly, she was. She was spilling her guts to a mostly stranger as if he were an old friend when she hadn’t been able to even talk about this with those closest to her. Then again, Loki didn’t seem to judge her based solely on her age or her appearance or memories of when she was a child. He’d only just met her properly so all he saw was what was in front of him. And from the way he’d eyed her down in the lobby of the hotel, he seemed to like it.

 

That was new. She’d gotten called cute before, more times than she could count, but hadn’t ever been point blank stared at as though she were gorgeous. And it wasn’t as though she didn’t know she was attractive; she did, and had it verified from outside sources regularly. Her mother often told her she was beautiful, as did T’Challa, and Okoye and Nakia always complimented her style. But the use of the diminutive “cute” worked a bit on her nerves, and it was a pleasure to know that perhaps, someone thought her a little more than cute. Maybe a lot more, even.

 

She left the question lingering as they found a bench nearby. There passed a few minutes of silence, simple and oddly comfortable where she scooted close to him and listened to the city around them in the dark. It was muted in the park, the shrubbery and trees giving her a sense of being tucked away in a separate part of the world, a departure from the noise of the urban landscape that rose above the tree line.

 

Loki never pushed her to speak. Instead, he sat beside her, arm around her shoulder, and soaked in the quiet alongside her.

 

And so she didn’t feel so anxious when she began to tumble forth into why she was truly upset about everything.

 

“I have a crush on my bodyguard.”

 

She glanced to her date for the evening to gauge his reaction and he said nothing, only turned toward her with interest, waiting for her to elaborate.

 

“I mean, I guess it’s a crush. Sometimes I like him so much, I wonder if I’m in love, but I honestly don’t know if I am or not. I’ve never been in love. I’ve barely ever even been on dates before. It’s a miracle anyone has ever even kissed me.” She huffed out a breath and slowed a bit, tried not to get ahead of herself and all worked up and went back a little. “I am pretty protected back home, almost to the point of sabotage. I have a detail with me at all times, I am flanked by Bucky Barnes whenever I step foot outside the country, and he gets to dictate where I go and with whom and why. It’s appreciated. I’m aware I could be kidnapped or hurt or even worse if someone who knew who I were got word that I was all alone without my usual shadows. People are cruel and want to damage others for no real reason except that it’s fun, I suppose. And I’m a political pawn, especially since my brother opened our borders more over the last few years. The more people learn about what Wakanda has to offer, the more they’ll want to take and take and take and I may be used as a bargaining chip, a hostage.”

 

She paused to see if he was keeping up and he seemed to be.

 

“I uh, don’t really mind Bucky as my bodyguard. He’s one of my very best friends and he’s so much fun and…well, he’s nice to look at, too. Even my Dora seem to think so and they’re not even into men.”

 

Loki smiled at that. “James is quite the specimen,” he agreed and Shuri couldn’t help but smile at his terminology. “But the issue doesn’t seem to be that he’s good looking, or that the two of you get along. I’m assuming you’re quite close, yes? Rogers has talked a bit about the work you’ve done for James…as far as helping him overcome that whole brainwashing business.”

 

“Mmmhm. And I guess he feels like he owes me. I mean, he’s told me he does. I don’t think so. I’d do that for anyone, you know? Like, if you’d have been brought to my lab and needed work done like that-“

 

“It’s entirely possibly I may,” he said softly, and she reached out tentatively, took his hand in hers and squeezed it quickly.

 

“Well. You know where Wakanda is. Come see me.”

 

He gave her a quick grin and gestured for her to continue.

 

“But anyway…I don’t know if he’s just being overprotective, like everyone else is, or if means something deeper. He looks at me sometimes like I’m…like I’m an angel that saved his life and then other’s he’s reminding me of how young I am and how much I have to learn and that I don’t know anything. I’m a genius, Loki. I know a lot.”

 

“That is a fact I most heartedly agree with. But, perhaps he has a point.”

 

“Yeah, I know. I haven’t lived a lot. But it’s because no one will let me! They make it a point to keep me sheltered and smothered and I don’t get to do anything!”

 

Shuri took deep breath after deep breath and willed herself not to cry, not in the park on a bench beside the handsome Prince beside her. She was so tired of being so upset about this. She just wanted to change it. But she had no idea how.

 

“Princess,” Loki said, sighing a little as he adjusted his long frame on the bench. He was long everywhere, she noted. It was definitely a good look for him, too. “You mentioned that you’ve barely been on any dates before. I’m assuming it’s because you aren’t allowed to, or…”

 

She shook her head. “No, no. Nobody really cares if I date. In fact, I think the papers wonder why I’m not dating at my age. My mother asks all the time. It’s just that…well, guys don’t find me particularly alluring. And the handful that did got bored with me, I guess. Or maybe I wasn’t sexy enough.” She suddenly came to a startling realization then and it hit her like an electric shot. “Bast alive, that’s it!”

 

“What?”

 

“I’m not sexy!”

 

It sounded ridiculous coming out her mouth but at least she could figure out why everyone treated her like a child most days. She didn’t look a thing like a typical 21 year old and so nobody really assumed she wanted to be one. She was stuck in a perpetual 16 year old time loop where she forever needed to be protected and sheltered from the outside world and from anything involving sex or romance or tough decisions.

 

Loki looked at her oddly for a moment and then his handsome face shifted into something a little more lecherous and it made her skin tingle.

 

“I beg to differ. I most _definitely_ beg to differ.”

 

Shuri giggled. “Okay, well…thanks. But hey, most people don’t think the same way you do, so that’s my problem. Everyone still thinks I’m a child because I still present that way.”

 

She lifted her hands to the twin buns she’d made of her braids, the same way she usually wore them in summer, the way she almost always wore them in the States when she didn’t have it up in a ponytail. And she took in a deep breath, tugged one loose, grimacing a bit when the hair pins caught on her scalp but sighing a little at the rush of relief that surged through her head when the heavy hair came tumbling down. Loki watched the entire thing curiously.

 

“Step one, I presume, on your quest to be taken seriously, is to let down your hair.”

 

“Yep.”

 

“That’s progress. There’s quite a bit more to it, however, especially if you’re going for sexy. Which I don’t really think is necessary to attempt, as I find you already quite lovely-“

 

“Thank you, Loki.”

 

“But if you insist…” He reached over and with careful, nimble fingers, undid the bun on the side closest to him, handing her the pin that held it in place as she leaned her head back and shook it once more.

 

“That feels better, too. I mean, the style is cute, yeah. But it’s hell on my neck.” She flipped her braids over her shoulder and glanced down at her sandals, the bright pink polish on her toes, the almost cheerful playfulness of the skater dress she wore. Everything she owned was bubbly and bright and cute. She was so tired of cute.

 

“Do you think maybe I should wear different clothes, too?”

 

“To look sexier? If you want, I suppose yes. What you’re wearing now is nice.”

 

She raised a brow playfully. “Just nice?”

 

“Well…if you want my honest opinion, it does remind me of something someone younger would wear. At least in this city, I think. But that depends on what you want for yourself personally, as far as how you’re perceived by others.” He swept his eyes across her body, fingering the hemline of her dress and humming under his breath. He seemed to be appraising her almost like a tailor would, but less professionally. It felt incredibly intimate and it made her body feel hot.

 

Bast, was she going to have fantasies about Loki now? She really needed to get laid.

 

“How long will you be in the city?" he asked all of a sudden, snapping her out her thoughts.

 

"A week. We leave next Saturday morning."

 

"Oh good," he said, smiling. "I should be in about the same length of time, give or take a day. I must attend a series of meetings and evaluations to ensure I am suitably 'rehabilitated'." He scoffed at the word and she giggled when his eyes rolled so far back in his head, she saw the whites. "Rehabilitation. A joke."

 

"You don't think you are?"

 

"I don't particularly care if anyone thinks I am. My brother knows where my loyalties lie and my wife loves me." Loki shrugged nonchalantly, but Shuri had a feeling that the whole issue with SHIELD and the prodding and emotionally taxing meetings and examinations were wearing on him. "But if it will make it easier for Thor to secure countrydom for our people, then I shall be a good Prince and go through with it."

 

"And it won't be forever," Shuri added gently, patting his hand. He smiled, a little sadly, but he seemed to be somewhat comforted by her words. That made her feel good.

 

"Of course. Nothing lasts forever, even the difficult things. Now, before I get sidetracked...I was thinking. You have an issue that I quite possible can help you with. And if I can, I shall. I’ll make you a wager.”

 

“A…what?”

 

“A wager. A deal.” He smirked, offering her his arm as he stood and she took it eagerly.

 

"Oh. Well...what for?"

 

"You want to appear sexy?" She nodded. "Sensual, too, I suppose. And alluring. All the things you think would win you the affections of your James." She nodded again, this time more enthusiastically. She did want all of that and then some. She wanted to be taken seriously, not just in a lab or a lecture hall but in person, as a person. As a woman.

 

"Then this is my wager," Loki continued, and they continued their stroll through the park. "Give me the week and I shall transform you into the seductive little minx of your dreams."

 

She let out a soft breath at the thought and stared up at him with wide eyes. "And in return, what do you want?" Because that's what a deal was, wasn't it? A wager. She had to give something to get something. Her mind whirled through a million and one things she could give him in return for his help, but she wasn't sure exactly what someone like Loki would be after.

 

"Don't worry about that right now. I'll just say the stakes aren't very high, not for you. Consider this a gesture of my good will."

 

She snorted and pursed her lips in disbelief. "Seriously?"

 

He didn't seem to take offense at all, waving his hand about casually. "Seriously! I'm trying very hard to be a more altruistic person. My therapist says it's good for me."

 

"Alright," she said, completely humored. "I'll take it. But it better not be anything weird."

 

"It won't be, I promise." He slowed a bit and gave her a sly, slick smile that made her a little more hot than she normally ways. "I will tell you, however, that trusting me may not be in your best interests." He leaned down so that he could brush his cool lips right by her heated ears and she shuddered in spite of her efforts not to. "Or, so I've been told. But perhaps that's part of the thrill, hm?"

 

Shuri let out a slow breath and nodded, almost stupidly, until he nudged her along and they began to walk again.

 

"So uh...Loki. When do our lessons begin?"

 

"Tonight, if you wish."

 

"And what do we have to do?"

 

"We've got to get you into something more suitable for the club I'm thinking of taking you to."

 

Shuri raised a brow. "Club? You mean, a night club?" When he nodded she frowned, a little confused. "How exactly are you going to teach me anything in a night club?"

 

"We're going dancing," he explained. "There's an innate amount of sensuality in dance, of course. And too, there are a multitudes of pathetic, horny young men who would take one look at your beauty and be dying to take you home. You won't, of course. But who better to practice on?"

 

"Oh. Is this like, seduction 101? Tips on how to get Bucky into bed with me or something?" She almost blushed at the idea of it, no matter how many times she'd fantasized about it.

 

"Precisely. Though it requires a bit more finesse than that. But I'll tell you a secret. Men are simple creatures, Princess, and when you realize what kind of power you have, you'll have them all eating out of your hand. You only need a little...push."

 

That sounded a lot more promising than stewing away in a hotel room, contemplating writing love letters on hotel stationary and crying herself to sleep.

 

So when asked if they could go back to her room, she didn't hesitate. She walked with Loki out the park and down the block, anticipation stirring in her blood.

 

* * *

 

They rode the elevator up to her room, chatting away casually about her lectures at the college.

 

"If you have time, you should totally come check one out. I like to think they're both interesting and fun. I hope they are, anyway."

 

"I would absolutely love to. In fact, I should have time between appointments to make your 11 o'clock. You only need message me the address and details and I'll be there."

 

She paused long enough at Folami and Biye's door to hear slight giggling and a sharp moan and she turned to her guest, grinning. "They're girlfriends. They honestly think no one knows and it's so cute, so we don't tell them any different." She put her key card into the slot and waited the three seconds it took for it light up green, then opened her bedroom and shivered a little at the cold. "Bast. I forgot to turn the A/C down. It's freezing in here!"

 

"Feels splendid," Loki said, closing the door behind them. "But if you need to warm up a little, feel free to adjust the temperature. I'll be fine."

 

Shuri took him up on that and turned the A/C off, then kicked her sandals into the corner. As she slung her purse onto her bed and flopped down on it, she watched him as he took in her suite, humming a little as his fingers brushed against the furniture and he sank into one of the plush chairs in the corner of the room, close to the window. They were quiet for a little while, as Loki peeled back the curtain and looked down at the street below.

 

"People look so very much like ants when you're this far up," he said softly.

 

"Mmm yeah. I always liked to imagine I was giant and that everyone below me were the tiny folk who worshipped me."

 

He smiled at her comment and turned his blue green eyes to hers. It was an intense gaze, one that seemed both scrutinizing and approving, and she squirmed a bit under the stare. "You should be worshiped, sweet girl," he purred, and she bit her lip at the timbre of his voice. "You are quite a goddess in your own right."

 

"You're flattering me."

 

"Flattery will get you everywhere in life," he said matter-of-factly, and then he got up from the chair and came to stand directly in front of her. "Alright. Clothing. We'll need to put you in something sexy. But...I'm also thinking you should appeal to your youthfulness. Play up the innocence. It's ridiculously alluring."

 

Shuri sighed. "I'm not that innocent." She wasn't. She'd done a few things. She'd even given a blow job before. Probably wasn't that good, but that counted for something, right?

 

"Perhaps not," Loki countered. "But go with it anyway. I want you in something sexy but sweet."

 

“Sweet? I’m trying to steer clear of sweet. I just want sexy.”

 

Loki lifted her chin with his forefinger and smiled, as if he knew all the secrets in the universe. “Oh I’m aware. Very much so. But you have such a sweet face, my darling. There’s nothing wrong with that. We’re steering you clear of _cute_ , not sweet. And sweet but sexy suits you tremendously. Trust me.”

 

“You told me I probably shouldn’t.”

 

He grinned then, all white teeth and glimmering blue green eyes and she had a feeling that if she weren’t warned beforehand at how convincing a person he was, she’d fallen right under his spell. And that would never work. He was _married_ , for Bast’s sake. Then again, his wife was probably seducing someone at Tony Stark’s party at that very moment, so that shouldn’t even be an issue. Even so, she wasn’t sure how their arrangement worked. Maybe she had a pass and he didn’t. Shuri didn’t know.

 

“I did. And you passed my little test with sparkling, flying colors. However, that doesn’t apply in this situation.”

 

“Fine, fine. Whatever you think will look good, I’ll go along with.”

 

She’d try to, anyway. She was peculiar about her fashion, though she realized that maybe her sense of fashion had been a bit of the problem. She brought over her shopping bags and hauled over her luggage, unzipped the largest suit case first and watched in anticipation as Loki dug through outfit after outfit-most of them packed specifically for comfort and style during her lectures-and then sighed when he shook his head.

 

“None of this will do.”

 

“It’s all…”

 

“Cute.”

 

She groaned. “I thought so. I think the raciest thing I have is a mini skirt and a tank top.”

 

“Do show me,” he asked, and so she pulled out the next suitcase, went straight to that outfit, and set it on the bed for his appraisal. He hummed and glanced between her and the clothes, then after a moment, shook his head again.

 

“It’s lovely, and can be sweet and sexy...but not for tonight. For tonight, I have another vision. I see you in something fresh. Floral and youthful, but yes…sexy. And sweet. There needs to be a balance. It’s the difference between sexy and sleezy, you know.”

 

“What’s the problem with sleezy?” she asked, humored.

 

“Nothing at all. I love a good sleezy look myself. But,” he said, as she packed away the clothes strewn on her bed, “that isn’t what you asked for.”

 

“True. Alright, so. What are we gonna do about it? I don’t have anything like that here.”

 

“I’m going to make you something.” At the confused expression on her face, he explained. “You’ve no doubt heard I’m a man of tricks and illusions, yes?”

 

She nodded. “You can do magic or something.” _Or something_ was, in her head, just a complicated branch of science she hadn’t gotten to explore just yet, or perhaps a more advanced mode of one already in her arsenal. But she didn’t have time to really dwell on that. So she went along with his insistence.

 

“It’s called _seidr_. It’s native to our people…I say ‘our people’ but I’m not truly Aesir in case you didn’t know. Long story. I’ll have to tell you sometime.”

 

She made a small ‘o’ with her mouth and nodded again.

 

“But yes, you could call it magic, I suppose. I can craft any sort of illusion you’d like-be it an entire outfit or a simple adjustment. And in some cases, I can do transformations. The dress you’re wearing isn’t going to work with what I have in mind.” He glanced toward her closet and nodded his head in that direction. “But if you’ve got a nightgown…”

 

“I do!” She skipped across the room and pulled out a cute little nightie, one plastered with one of her favorite childhood cartoon characters, but short enough and thin enough that Loki could probably work with it.

 

“Will this be okay?” When he nodded she asked him what he was thinking of doing with it. “What have you in mind? Sweet but sexy, yeah. Florals? I don’t know about florals. Not for the evening.”

 

“Hmmm, you raise a valid concern.” Loki stepped back a bit and glanced her over once more, his face going through a myriad of expressions, his eyes searching and searching though she wasn’t sure what for. Whatever it was made him snap his fingers and his eyes lit up as he’d discovered a new formula or something.

 

“I’ve got it. Alright. You’re going to have to get out of what you have on.”

 

“What?” She shook her head and frowned, mostly confused. As much as she did find Loki sexy-and she did, though she probably shouldn’t have-she wasn’t about to just strip in front of him like that. At least without a valid reason, she wasn’t and so far, he hadn’t given her one.

 

“Your dress. It’s lovely, but it’ll bulk up under the new one I’m going to make you.”

 

“Oh. If you’ll let me duck in the bathroom and change-“

 

“Feel free.”

 

She hurried in her endeavor, remembering last minute to take her bra off, too. When she exited he’d packed away her entire mess, in far faster a time than she’d ever be able to do. She wondered if his magic had something to do with that, as well. But she got distracted watching him watch her to ask. He looked like he’d seen something incredibly delicious. She nearly felt herself blush.

 

“This isn’t…it’s not exactly _sexy_ -“

 

“It’s adorable,” he purred, and then he lifted his eyes to hers instead of devouring her bare shoulders and legs and arms, and seemed to come back to himself. Shuri wondered where his head had been at that moment and just the possibilities made her pulse thump.

 

“Thank you? I think. Um. Anyway. Do your work, fairy godmother.”

 

“Fairy…what?”

 

“Have you never seen-you know what, never mind. I’ll tell you on the way out.”

 

He raised a dark brow and sighed softly but shrugged it off. “Alright then, darling. Close your eyes. This will feel a bit odd at first. Not badly at all and if I ever get to do this for you regularly, you may even come to like the sensation.”

 

She liked the way he said "sensation". Hell, she liked the promise of letting him see her in skimpy though juvenile night wear and dolling her up like she was Cinderella again. Only, the fairy godmother was a man and he was taking her out to dance so this was a variation on the classic. She did like the twist in it.

 

Shuri drew in a breath and obeyed, letting her eyes slip shut as Loki stepped close enough to her that she swore she could hear his heart beating. It had to have been his; hers didn’t beat near that slowly and that heavy. And the coolness radiating off his skin gave her goosebumps that traveled from her thighs up to her collarbone. But the strange, electrifying and warming sensations that began to spread across her skin was something else entirely. She had no word to describe it except for wavy. She felt wavy. And it was pretty odd…but not entirely unpleasant.

 

“Alright,” she heard him murmur, inches away from her face from the closeness of his breath. It smelled like mint and frost and she wondered what it’d taste like to kiss him. “You’re ready. You’re…oh, my darling girl, go look!”

 

Shuri blinked her eyes open and caught the look in his and was almost too startled to go look at what he was seeing. But her curiosity was eating away at her so she moved over to the full length mirror in the bathroom and let out a gasp so loud, she probably could have woken the dead.

 

“Holy shit.”

 

“I agree.”

 

“How’d you…holy…Loki!”

 

“Well,” he said, grinning so hard she thought it’d split his face, “you wanted sexy and I wanted sweet and that is precisely what we got, don’t you think?”

 

_Most definitely_ , she thought, spinning around in the mirror with her mouth agape. She looked incredible, the little dress she wore was flowy and flirty and rather sexy without sacrificing her youthfulness or her sweetness. It was beautiful, though relatively simple in design, a scooping neckline and high cut tulip hemline that just barely brushed the tops of her thighs, exposing her long legs for the world to see. The fabric was buttery soft and light as a feather, but rich in texture, and the color was phenomenal against her dark skin-a gorgeous golden yellow that seemed to glimmer even in the phosphorescent lighting of her bathroom. But really, it was the hair and makeup that made the difference.

 

Loki had opted to keep things pretty simple. Her brows were more defined, and he’d chosen a sharp angled eyeliner, a light dusting of blush and a bit of gloss. And somehow, she felt more grown, felt sexier and prettier and more gorgeous than she’d ever been just from that tiny bit of change. The only thing that hadn’t really been changed was her hair, still in her signature braids and hanging down her back the way it had been when they’d left the park.

 

As if he’d read her mind (she wondered if he could do that) he moved behind her in the mirror, appraising his work with a significant amount of satisfaction, and threaded his fingers through her multitude of small braids.

 

“I wasn’t sure what you’d want to do with the hair,” he said. “But I figured we could decide once I’d gotten you dressed.”

 

Shuri wiggled her fingers beside her hemline and gave an almost hazy smile. “Down, or…a ponytail perhaps? I do those sometimes.”

 

Loki only paused for a beat. “Down. And how about…” He lifted his hands, waited till she gave permission for him to really get into her hair, and with one sharp finger, parted a line on the far right side, separating the braids quickly and easily. The multitude of them fell into her face so that she laughed and pushed them away, but when she did, she didn’t really see the girl she’d been staring at her entire life.

 

She saw a _woman_. A desirable, beautiful, sexy woman. She grinned harder.

 

“That’s perfect,” she said decidedly and glanced up at her makeshift fairy godmother. “Thank you.”

 

“My pleasure.”

 

He didn’t seem to want to move, perfectly content to stand behind her, barely a hand’s width from touching her, his fingers still sweeping stray braids away from her face. He kept his gaze on her, as if she were all he could see and at that moment, she felt more wanted than she’d ever had in her entire life.

 

It was breathtaking.

 

Whatever spell mingled around the two of them dissipated enough that he finally pulled away, though it seemed to hurt him to do so. He moved around her to peer into the mirror himself and then he swept a bit of golden light across his head and shoulders, straightening his hair some and adjusting his outfit to be a bit more casual. The black shirt opened a few notches, exposing a tuff of dark, downy hair at his throat and more pale, glimmering skin. And the sleeves folded to reveal a large, expensive gold watch, one that she had a feeling hadn’t come from this part of the galaxy. He looked even more handsome and alluring if that was possible, and not for the first time did she find her eyes pulled to him like a magnet.

 

“Like what you see, Princess?”

 

Instead of getting flustered and denying it, the way she’d have done with Bucky, she felt her mouth slip into a sultry smile and she shrugged daintily.

 

“Maybe. I guess I could ask you a similar question.”

 

“You already know my answer to that. You look ravishing.”

 

She hummed her thanks leaned forward in the mirror one more time, smiling happily at her appearance. “You know, I’m going to agree with that. Thank you, once again. You’re really good at this.”

 

“I often helped my mother pick out her attire for special occasions. It was one of the many things we did together.” His voice was incredibly gentle speaking of his mother. She wanted to ask what had happened to her, but she didn’t want to spoil the mood so she saved it for a later conversation.

 

She most definitely felt as though there were going to be later conversations. And, just to check that this wasn’t going to get him into any hot water…

 

“Are you sure your wife’s okay with this? You know, taking me out like this?”

 

He looked almost surprised she’d even ask.

 

“But of course! Why wouldn’t she be?”

 

“Cause you’re her husband and I uh…well...”

 

Loki’s chuckle made her skin prickle and her blood race. He really was going to have to stop doing that, she thought. She was getting all worked up over a laugh. Incredible. But his voice was so wonderful and that laugh was too and the chuckle was even better. It was, somehow, deeper.

 

“My darling wife is probably on her way home with someone else. She doesn’t care at all. Trust me.”

 

“You said I shouldn’t,” she reminded him, biting her lip coyly.

 

“And you shouldn’t. But if you’d rather trust her, ask her. I can call her right now, if it would ease your conscience.”

 

She shook her head. She’d take his word for it this go round. And that seemed to also answer her question on how their arrangement probably worked.

 

“So…are the both of you allowed to…you know?”

 

“Take other lovers?” he finished. “Yes. We don’t really ever ask permission, just give a simple notice if we happen to want to. It’s a courtesy thing. She just so happens to be doing a lot more taking than I am at the moment. Midgardians have never really been my thing.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“You may very well be an exception, though, sweet Shuri.” Cool hands take her own in between his and his thumb brushes across the tops of her knuckles, the motion so soft and slight, it feels like a whisper. “But only if you wanted to be. I never take what isn’t offered.”

 

She had a feeling that only applied to people and not planets, but she wasn’t going to bring that up either. She really didn’t want him to stop touching her like this. And the very dark part of her brain thought of what those hands of his would feel like on her flesh, on her neck, her thighs, between them, inside her.

 

She had to physically shake her head to get back to the present. It was getting dire. His smirk relayed that he knew exactly what she was thinking of but he kept mum on asking for more. Part of her was relieved; she honestly had no idea what she would do if he asked her for more than a touch or a look.

 

He straightened to his full height then and seemed to settle something inside himself, before he led her out the bathroom door.

 

"If we're going to be off, then, Princess, we should go now," he said, and she turned to click the bathroom light off.

 

"Are you going to tell me where we're headed, or is it a surprise?" Shuri wiggled her toes in the plush carpeting of the floor and glanced down, remembering she didn't have shoes on. "Oh! Hold on a second, Loki, I need to put on my sandals." They were the only thing that would work with the dress she had on as everything else she owned consisted of sneakers and those new boots from Saks.

 

"Those won't do," Loki commented, stepping away from her a little to scope out her feet. "But do slip them on...I can craft you something else that will work."

 

So she did. No sooner had she slipped the back strap around her foot did her feet tingle and that wavy feeling start again. And in a flash of light, her sandals were transformed into strappy high heeled shoes, ones that wrapped around her calves and near up to her knees. They were undeniably sexy, but didn't feel uncomfortable at all. In fact, it felt like she'd never changed shoes.

 

"How'd you..."

 

"I simply adjusted the appearance," Loki explained and she blinked a few times, startled by the fact that she now stood a little taller, tall enough that he didn't tower over her quite so much. "Underneath the glamour, your sandals still are the way they were. And, in essence, so is your dress."

 

"Does all of this expire at the stroke of midnight?"

 

"Beg your pardon?"

 

She laughed then and took his arm once more, her spine a little straighter, her gait a little more deliberate in how her hip swung.

 

"Don't worry about it right now," she said, grabbing her wristlet and slipping her phone and key card inside. "Take me dancing and I'll tell you later."

 


	2. A Lesson in Seduction

“So where are we going?” Shuri asked, as they once again stepped out of the hotel and onto the street. It’s still bustling and busy though it’s closer to ten now, and the night air is only marginally cooler. She thought to bring a jacket but Loki assured her it wouldn't be needed. “If you happen to get cold, darling, I’ll take care of it,” he’d promised, and so she had walked out her room and into the lobby wearing little else but his arm around her waist and the shimmering yellow gold dress he’d made her. It was a lot less than she was usually used to and it took her a moment to get comfortable enough that she didn’t slouch and tried to hide away. That itself had been a lesson as they walked from the Park Hyatt to wherever Loki was taking her.

 

“It’s a bit early for any of the clubs to really be in full swing,” Loki said. “So I was thinking we could possibly have dinner first. I haven’t eaten since lunch.”

 

Shuri realized she hadn’t either, the burger and fries she’d had while out with the Dora and Bucky long gone now. Her stomach twisted in the reminder that she was starving. “Fantastic idea cause I’m hungry enough to eat an entire rhino.”

 

“Perfect! What do you have a taste for? Whenever Hilde and I go out, she almost always drifts toward pizza. I’m a little sick of pizza, honestly.”

 

“Then we can get sushi or steak or Mexican, if you wanna.” It didn’t matter one bit what they ate so long as she was fed, and soon. “Of course, it depends on what’s open now.”

 

“New York never sleeps,” Loki said with a slight smile. “I’m certain we’ll find something delicious no matter where we go. And on that note, how do you feel about taking the transit someplace else?”

 

Shuri paused just long enough to consider what he’d said. He seemed to understand that taking her far from the hotel was a worry of hers; Shuri had assumed they wouldn’t be any further than a few blocks at the most, but she could feel a giddy sense of excitement stirring if she left and went even deeper into the city. No matter how many times she’d been here, she still hadn’t seen everything. And she had the entire night and probably some of the next morning to see it. So why not take advantage?

 

Checking her kimoyos and her phone, and satisfied that both Bucky and her Dora detail were occupied or otherwise, she sucked in a breath and grinned.

 

“Take me wherever you wanna, Loki,” she said. The curl of his lips was worth how badly her heart pounded in her chest, as was the slip of his large hand into her smaller one. She found she really liked touching him, even if it was something as benign as holding hands. He felt dangerous and she liked the thrum of power that seemed to course through his body when she was close by. She wondered if maybe it was just her overactive imagination or if he really was just vibrating all the time, like a walking electrical current. His brother was the God of Thunder, after all. It wouldn’t be far fetched to assume Loki had some sort of supernatural elemental power of his own, even if they were adopted brothers.

 

“You’ll find telling me to do anything I want can be particularly dangerous,” he quipped and she bit her lip to keep from giggling like an idiot. “However, you’re in safe company with me. At least for tonight.”

 

“What about any other night?” she asked, coy and a little bit flirty, and it surprised her to see his brow raise, his eyes widen just a touch.

 

“That was good.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“What you just did. That was perfect.”

 

“Oh.” She hadn’t been trying to do anything, though. “What did I do? I mean, I was just-“

 

“Flirting with me? Yes. And it came so naturally, too. I don’t think I’m going to have much of a problem teaching you anything. Perhaps all you need is a bit of assistance, is all.”

 

She pouted a bit, mostly for show and leaned in a little closer to him. “And to think, I was all excited about you teaching me. I was thinking of calling you Professor Loki and asking you if I could get extra credit.” She held her breath as she waited for his reaction and when she felt him chuckle, she mentally gave herself another point.

 

“That was even better. Are you certain you don’t get much attention?”

 

She shrugged. Attention wasn’t really the issue, as she’d been raised her entire life in the eye of the public. But the public wasn’t the general male population and nobody ever looked at her sexually. And that’s what she wanted. It was wonderful for people to like her for her mind and her heart and all that great stuff. But she wanted to be stared at for once, looked at as if she were the most gorgeous thing anyone had ever seen.

 

“I don’t. Not like that, I don’t.”

 

“Like what?” he asked her, though she knew he already understood. It was simply his way of getting to the root of her issue. If she could possibly explain what bothered her so, she could possibly fix it.

 

“Like…like you just did,” she said. “You looked at me like I thrill you. Like I was irresistible and fun and really hot.”

 

“Well, it goes without saying that you are hot. At least, I seem to think you are, and my opinions are usually quite valuable.”

 

She couldn’t help but snort, but he didn’t take offense. In fact, he seemed to grin even harder. She loved his grin, already. It was so mischievous and fun and full of life. And he had really nice teeth, too. It was an odd thing to make notice of, she had to admit, but then again, she couldn’t very well entertain fantasies of Loki if his teeth were ragged and stained. She was peculiar about those types of things.

 

“They are. You’re a prince, after all. And as a princess, I have first hand knowledge of how very valuable our opinions can be. So I’ll take what you said at face value and assume you’re telling me the truth.”

 

He nodded, and then stopped slowly as they waited to cross the street. “As you should. Truth is, I do a lot of lying and have built most of my entire persona on being a liar, and a very good one. But in the short span of time I’ve come to know you, I’ve never once lied to you.”

 

She believed that, even if maybe she shouldn’t. But she did.

 

She felt her stomach grumble with the need for food and asked where they were heading for dinner.

 

“I actually have no idea,” he confessed, only coloring just a bit. Shuri found it incredibly endearing. “I know exactly which clubs to go to, but as far as restaurants and eateries, well, I usually go wherever my wife takes me. She knows more about this city than I do.”

 

“She’s here more often?”

 

“Definitely. I try and keep my visits here to a minimum, if I can help it.”

 

That probably had something to do with his failed invasion years before, so she nodded knowingly and let that slide past her. No use bringing up the past, not right now. If he ever wanted to talk about it later, though, she’d be all ears. It was mix of curiosity and a genuine need to know what made the man do something as wield as try and take over an entire planet. There were rumors, of course, but no one had any real knowledge, at least not from what she’d scoured off the internet.

 

“Hilde seems like a pretty awesome lady. At least from the little I got to know of her.”

 

His smile then was so lovely and beautiful that it made her entire chest warm. The love that poured from him then was almost blinding; she wanted someone to love her that much one day. She hoped that maybe it’d be the one she wanted to, too.

 

“My darling wife is the walking personification of awesome. She’s intelligent and fierce. She’s kind, though her kindness is not to be taken for granted. Trust me, she can be quite dangerous when threatened.”

 

“She told me she beat your ass when you guys first met.”

 

He laughed. “Oh, she did. To be fair to her, I’d played a very dirty trick and drudged up some nasty memories she’d wanted long buried. It was for a purpose, of course, but I imagine I could have done something a little less traumatic.” He sighed, almost sadly. “I’m probably going to be paying for that the rest of my life, but if doing that led me to where I am now, well, it was worth it.”

 

That was possibly one of the most romantic things she’d ever heard. She squeezed his hand a little and smiled. And just as she was about to wax poetic about her ideals of romance and how she’d entertained the notion of having a love that changed her for the better, her stomach growled loudly, once more, and she glanced at him apologetically.

 

“Alright, so look,” she began, as the crosswalk turned green. “I don’t care at this point what we eat.”

 

“Neither do I,” Loki said in agreement. “I’m this close to simply settling for another pizza, no matter my initial resistance.”

 

“We’ll stop in the first spot we find,” she suggested. They walked down the street for several more minutes, weaving around throngs of people and darting across crosswalks, hand in hand. And though she was almost too hungry to really notice it, she did-people glancing backward to look at her, men stopping still for long seconds as she floated by.

 

A little part of her was doubtful that anyone was truly paying her any attention, that maybe everyone was focused on her tall date, but no…there was a moment where a man and his friend stopped still in the middle of the street as she walked past and simply stared. And it was a stare of awe, of adoration. It felt incredible, and she glanced up at Loki to see if he’d noticed it to.

 

Of course he had.

 

“I told you,” he said quietly, but proudly, and she felt her face heat. “I told you that you had a power to captivate and enrapture anyone you wanted. And you do. _Look_ , darling, at how many people simply want to gaze at you.”

 

He slowed their walk so that she could truly take in what he was talking about. And people did stare, glance in her direction, stop and smile even. It was definitely something different from what she was used to back home. Back home, she was greeted warmly and sweetly and everyone knew who she was. But here, she was just another woman, just a face in a crowd. And somehow, that face stood out enough that the attention of most of the people walking on that busy street couldn’t help but notice and admire.

 

“You’re not doing this, are you?” she asked him, because she had to be sure this wasn’t some fluke or a spell or trick of his. And he shook his head, long hair spilling over his shoulders, his eyes glimmering as he let go of her hand and pulled her flush against him. His arm wrapped around her waist again and she felt wanted, desired, adored. She felt as though everyone wanted her but that only Loki got the chance to have her, even if it was just for tonight.

 

And deep inside her, she hoped, though she knew it was probably risky to, that he would have her for real tonight. The thought of that made her entire body shiver.

 

“Are you cold, darling?”

 

She shook her head. She wasn’t, though his long, cool frame was pressed to her body.

 

“No. I’m just a little…”

 

“Overwhelmed?” He chuckled. “You’ll get used to it, trust me. And then you’ll bask in it and wield this power as you see fit.”

 

“So…all the time?”

 

He laughed loudly then, and the crinkles in the corner of his eyes deepened handsomely. “Oh Norns, by all means, if you’d like! But then what would become of us all, caught in the thrall of Princess Shuri’s addictive allure?”

 

That warmed her straight to her core and she couldn’t stop beaming.

 

“You’re really good at that, you know.”

 

“Making others feel pleasant? I am. I’m nearly as adept at it as I am of making people angry with me. And I’m really good at that.”

 

Shuri laughs and then the two of them are off again down the street. In the distance, she sees a little burger place and as if her belly can tell she’s close to food, it gurgles loudly. “I can’t wait to have something in my mouth,” she groans, hurrying her steps a bit because she’s oh so close now to the biggest burger she can manage and probably a large plate of fries. Loki hums in agreement and allows her to tug him along.

 

“It’s better than pizza, I suppose. Though I will admit I’m a little bit burned out on burgers, too.”

 

But fortunately for Loki, the restaurant carried a variety of dishes, even if burgers were their specialty. Shuri ordered a double cheese and bacon with Swiss and mushrooms, extra fries, and a side salad with wings and dip as a starter. And though he was a tall, graceful, nearly dainty man, Loki ordered three chicken sandwiches and asked the waitress if he could possibly, if she’d be so kind, convince her to bring him an entire pan of macaroni and cheese. And maybe add bacon on top, too, thanks.

 

Shuri raised a brow at the order. “Where are you going to put all of that?” she asked, as Loki sipped his water. A lemon perched precariously on top, but refused to fall. And her eyes were drawn to his thin lips, his sharp teeth when he grinned, the way lines spread across his face when he smiled. Pictures really did not do him justice, not one bit. Not only was he absolutely handsome, he was incredibly charming and borderline intoxicating to be around. And he was so, so good for her ego. She hadn’t felt so confident as far as her looks went in ages.

 

“Oh, trust me, that’s just a snack.”

 

“Do you really eat that much? Or do you have a secret pocket somewhere where you store the leftovers?”

 

His laugh is rich and hearty and she leans toward him unconsciously to hear more of it.

 

“No, not at the moment. I’ve been known to store sweets in several different liminal spaces, however. I can’t tell you how many times Mother caught me sneaking out of the kitchens at odd hours with cakes in my hands and half the pantry in my pockets.”

 

She grins. “I know people who would murder to have a metabolism like yours.”

 

He shook his head, sighed and plucked the lemon from the rim of the glass. When he sucked it into his mouth, he didn’t grimace at the tartness of it at all. Instead, he kept his cool, blue green eyes level with hers and let the statement linger for a moment as he finished stripping the lemon of its flesh.

 

Shuri had to remind herself to breathe and she shifted a bit in her chair, cognizant of how she throbbed between her thighs at the sight. She wondered what that mouth could do to _her_ , if it could do something as making eating a lemon erotic.

 

“Actually,” he finally said, putting the peel on his napkin, “it’s more of a bother than anything. I have to eat what seems like an inordinate amount in order to maintain any sort of muscle mass. Quite annoying, especially in our culture.”

 

“Asgardian?”

 

“Mmm yes. Bulk, mass, strength. All three of those things are revered and encouraged. And try as I might, I could never gain enough weight to grow as large as my brother. Of course, there’s reasons for that I found out later.”

 

Shuri nodded, and she almost asked him what that reason was when the waitress returned with their starters.  

 

The two of them dig in immediately, the only sound between the two the appreciation of the good food and the quelling of rumbling bellies. When she’d settled her stomach down enough that she didn’t feel near faint, she sucked a bit of buffalo sauce from her fingertips and leaned back, still hungry but not so famished she felt as though she’d die. Loki had slowed down as well, and he wiped his mouth and drank greedily from his water.

 

“Norns knows I love spicy foods, but…”

 

She shook her head and laughed. “You can’t seriously tell me that was too spicy.”

 

“I never said it was _too_ spicy.” He gave a soft cough and cleared his throat, blinking a few times and Shuri struggled to keep her giggles down to a minimum. “I simply mentioned that it was spicy. Perhaps I’m just out of practice.”

 

“Mmhm.”

 

“Seriously! I’ve eaten some of the hottest things this side of the galaxy. Have you ever had food so spicy it made your skin burn?”

 

Shuri raised a brow and blinked.

 

“What?”

 

“Oh yes. They’re called Mkruele peppers. Hottest things in the universe, from what I’ve been told. And if you get just a bite, well...your skin peels and burns much like a very bad sunburn.” He paused and took another sip, then cleared his throat again. “Of course, I don’t imagine you’ve ever had a sunburn before, have you?”

 

She shook her head.

 

“I don’t think I have. I’ve gotten sun sick before, but no sunburns.”

 

“No, no, you wouldn’t get one. Your skin was made for the sun, darling. It practically drinks it in.”

 

Shuri wasn’t sure what to say to that, so she said nothing and sipped her own drink, trying to keep her smile from spiraling into a goofy grin. But it couldn’t be helped. Something about the way he’d said that made her entire body tingle, in a very delightful way.

 

Dinner arrived shortly after and they both dug in, talking between bites and sharing bits and pieces of their respective meals. She told him about her seminar and gave him a quick rundown on what she would be demonstrating and lecturing about; he gave her a few cursory details about his hearings with SHIELD, about Thor’s quest for countrydom for New Asgardia, and even talked about the play he was writing and hoped to put on sometime in the future. And all the while, he kept his attention focused on her, even as he easily put away three chicken sandwiches and three quarters a pan of mac and cheese (with bacon). Shuri had been hungrier than she thought and polished her burger and fries off quickly, glancing around to see if there were any wings left, before Loki scooped out the last quarter of his pasta onto her empty plate and gestured for her to eat.

 

“You’re not still hungry?”

 

He chuckled then, in that deep tone that she was quickly becoming absolutely enamored with and shrugged.

 

“Darling, I am _always_ hungry.” He sucked a bit of cheese off his fingers and nodded toward the plate again. “But you seem to be ravenous right now and what kind of person would I be to let my date go hungry?”

 

So she ate. And then sucked down the remainder of her drink and half of his remaining water. She resisted the urge to pick up the skeletal remains of his eaten lemon and suck it into her mouth, though when the thought crossed her mind, she couldn’t help but draw in a shivering breath.

 

The hell had gotten into her?

 

No matter. Dishes were cleared and dessert was requested, more so for Loki than herself, because she was finally full and didn’t need another bite.

 

“I’m going to pop out of this dress,” she groaned, when his cheesecake came and he offered her a bite. “I’ve eaten more in one hour than I usually do in a day.”

 

“One bite isn’t going to hurt you, sweet girl. Have a taste. It’s absolutely delightful.”

 

She sighed and said to hell with it and opened her mouth when he presented the fork loaded with cake and strawberry syrup and there was no stopping the moan that slipped out because he was right, as usual. The stuff was amazing.

 

“Oh Bast…”

 

“I know.” In the blink of an eye, he’d eaten nearly all of the remainder of the cheesecake, though the slice was thick and rich and would have taken her a while to even get halfway through. And at the very end, near the graham cracker crust, he broke off one more piece, and tapped her lips with his fingertips.

 

“Open up.”

 

“Loki. I can’t-”

 

“Mmmm one more? For me?”

 

His eyes watched her in the dim golden light of the restaurant and she let herself sink into his gaze for a second, the thrill of how intense his eyes were electrifying her down to her core. And once again she had to shift in her seat to alleviate the throbbing and the clenching. He hadn’t even kissed her and she wanted him to eat her alive, to devour her much like he did with the cheesecake.

 

So she opened her mouth one more time, a little rush of breath slipping through her nostrils when the crust hit her tongue and the sweet, almost sinfully rich cheesecake slipped across her taste buds. She closed her eyes and let the deliciousness enrapture her, cognizant all the while of Loki’s cool, long fingers still lingering near her mouth as he pulled the fork from it slowly.

 

And though she was so full she thought she’d burst, she swallowed happily and fluttered her eyes open to find him watching her, mouth open and blue green eyes narrowed as if he were deciding on what to do with her. _To_ her.

 

“I’m tempted to ask,” he began, and she held her breath.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Are you sure you’re too full to eat another? I could use more cheesecake.”

 

She let the breath go and laughed, shook her head, and shook her glass around for the remnants of her drink. There wasn’t a drop left, so she settled for digging around for a chunk of half melted ice. And Loki still watched her, as she sucked on the cube, his mouth pulled up into what she thought could be a smirk, but was so faint she wasn’t sure.

 

Either way, it was insanely erotic and she really wanted to disregard going out in favor of taking him back to her hotel and having her way with him. Not that she was even remotely that bold, of course. And not that he would really go for it. Flirting was one thing; actually following through on some supposed desire was another. And Loki was a renowned liar.

 

It was such a beautiful lie.

 

He seemed to notice that she was depressing herself with her thoughts, so he slipped a slim black card out of his pocket and waved for their waitress, who had been leaning against the bar chatting with the bartender while they ate dessert. “Check, please,” he called and she smiled, went to the computer in the corner and came back with the bill.

 

Shuri almost thought to pay her half, just on principle, but she hadn’t even a chance to glance at the little book before Loki was pressing it into the waitress’ hand and urging her along.

 

And then he turned back to Shuri and his face was serious.

 

“Self doubt will kill whatever progress you make tonight. Do remember that.”

 

“How’d you...I’m not-”

 

“You doubt that I find you alluring,” he said simply, wiping his hands with the napkin once more for good measure. “You doubt that I could truly want you.” He leaned forward then, until he was closer than she thought he could get with a table between them, but then again, he was long and slender and seemed as though he could invade her personal space no matter the situation.

 

“I want you to be assured of something for this entire evening, my dear.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“I find you remarkably beautiful and-” He paused, glanced up at the waitress who had returned and who was waiting politely for him to sign the receipt. “Thank you so much,” he said in the most regal, most dulcet tone and the waitress blushed.

 

“Um, did you two enjoy your meal? Can I get you anything else?”

 

Shuri shook her head and smiled while Loki waved his hand and took back his black card. He pulled out his wallet-something black and slender and probably incredibly expensive-and then took out a few large bills.

 

“Everything was to perfection. Don’t you agree, love?”

 

Shuri blinked at the term of endearment and tried not to make a fool of herself in front of the waitress. She met his eyes then looked back to the woman standing before them and nodded, keeping her voice as level as possible.

 

“It was amazing, thank you so much.”

 

The waitress blushed a bit and then nearly blanched right after when Loki slipped five hundred dollars of crisp American money into her palm. “Don’t let them see I gave you that,” he said conspiratorially, and she giggled, but stuffed the money into her apron and blinked back tears.

 

“Oh god, thank you...I...I was wondering how I was going to pay rent and my daughter needs glasses and-”

 

Shuri felt something tug at her heart, so she pulled out her own wallet and the three hundred she had in cash and stuffed that in the waitress’ apron as well, reaching out for her hand when she did start to cry, big fat tears slipping down her pretty face.

 

“Oh my god, you guys are amazing, thank you! I’m gonna...we’ve gotta close so-”

 

“I understand. Perhaps we’ll return when you work again...Alanis? Am I saying that right?” She nodded and sniffled, her grin so wide Shuri thought it would split her face. And her chest felt warm, her own smile impossible to suppress. There really was something to giving back, she thought, as she slipped out the chair and took Loki’s arm once more.

 

“I work 9-4 Wednesday,” Alanis said as she followed them to the double doors and prepared to lock up behind them. “I’ll make sure you get another pan of mac and cheese if you want, sir.”

 

“That would be marvelous, darling, thank you. Have a safe evening. And get yourself something nice as well, too. You deserve it.”

 

* * *

 

The night air hadn’t cooled down one bit, and walking to the subway made Shuri sweat a bit but she didn’t mind. She was on some sort of high to be arm and arm with this handsome, generous, dangerous man. And she couldn’t help but notice the looks she got as she walked down the busy street, the stares and glances and gasps as she glided by.

 

Bast, that was intoxicating.

 

They took the train down to their first stop in a mostly empty car, curled up close to one another and enjoying the sounds of the train whooshing down the line. American transit was so primitive but there was something enchanting about it too, something incredibly charming about how dirty and dingy the New York subway was. She found herself romanticizing the scribbles and graffitti of the seats on front of her, the stale musty scent that wafted around, the tired woman in scrubs who sat down from them with her earphones in. She caught the woman’s eye for a moment and offered her a smile and was pleasantly surprised when she got one in return. New Yorkers were known for being rude, borderline mean when it came to greeting and hospitality but perhaps it was just that kind of night. Shuri let her gaze fall away and back to the blur of the window, and she leaned into Loki, a little lethargic as the food settled in her belly.

 

The automated system announced the next stop and Shuri noticed the nurse gathering her bag at her feet, getting up with a grunt, and swaying along with the rocking car as it began to slow. She caught her eye once more and got a head nod this time, and Shuri waved goodbye, smiling as she did so. “Be careful!” she decided to call, and the woman glanced back, grinning.

 

“You too, honey. Ya’ll have fun tonight.”

 

When the doors slid closed, Shuri turned to Loki, who watched her with amusement.

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing. Just observing. I’m your tutor for the night, you know. I’ve got to make observations.”

 

“Oh.” She bit her lip and then looked at the book he was reading on his phone. It wasn’t anything she’d ever heard of before, and she was about to ask about the title of it when he spoke up again.

 

“You have a knack for that, by the way.”

 

“For what?”

 

“Charming the best out of people. Complete strangers, passersby, me.”

 

She giggled at that last part. “Oh yeah? I’ve charmed you, then?”

 

“Oh yes.” He pulled her a little closer, a little tighter and she felt dizzy, not just from the sway of the subway car but the thumping of his heart and the rush of blood to her head. “You have thoroughly bewitched me, sweet Shuri. Sweetness radiates from you.”

 

“Hmm. Sweetness.” She was tired of sweetness.

 

“Yes. And don’t think there is anything at all bad about that. Sweetness can be a weapon, if utilized properly.”

 

She gave that a bit of thought and let her eyes drift along the lines of the e-book. She realized then that it was in a completely different language, and not one she recognized. And she knew quite a few. “How do I do that?”

 

“You’re already doing that. Simply be who you are. That’s all you must do.” He paused and caught sight of where her eyes had wandered and handed her the phone. “Go head and sneak a few lines if you’d like.”

 

She made a face and laughed. “I can’t read it though.”

 

“Oh.” He snorted, a little less gracefully than she expected, and tapped a button on the phone, revealing a drop down of languages to choose from. She chose Xhosa and smiled when she could recognize the words. It was a fairy tale of some sort, she could tell, just from the paragraph visible.

 

“Who wrote this?”

 

“A woman by the name of Hildebrand Finriksdottir. She was once a renowned member of the elite Valkyrior.”

 

“Isn’t your wife one?”

 

“Mmhm. Last of her kind. Well, last of the old order. Before the massacre.”

 

Shuri blinked and looked to him for some sort of sign he was kidding but he wasn’t. And he was awfully calm about it. “Uh...what happened?”

 

“Long story, not very pleasant in the grand scheme of things, but the gist of it is this: my sister-I had a sister, you don’t know this, no one really does because we don’t talk about it-”

 

“I had a cousin. Nobody talks about him either. Well, not much. We’re trying to...you know.”

 

“Yes. Thor...occasionally he’ll bring her up. Her name was Hela. She was monstrous.”

 

Shuri hummed. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

 

“So am I,” Loki said, and he actually did seem sorry. “She was beautiful. Fierce. Powerful. Obviously intelligent from the little I saw of her. But she was mad and drunk on revenge and wanted both of us-Thor and I-dead. You see, my father had imprisoned her a millennia before for exceeding the bounds of what he deemed safe as far as power goes.”

 

“What.”

 

“Yes. Odin wasn’t...he was a…” Loki cleared his throat, his skin a little flushed and Shuri could tell he was getting irritated.

 

“You don’t have to talk about it if it upsets you,” she said softly, and he offered her a terse smile.

 

“Ah, but my therapist says talking about it is what will help me to finally heal.” He shrugs and lets out a slow breath, starts a silent countdown and then gathers his thoughts once more. “But thank you, darling. I appreciate the sentiment. Anyway, she tried to kill us, nearly succeeded and took over Asgard. I crash landed on a trash heap of a planet called Sakarr, where I met my wife and Thor joined us two weeks later, and we found Bruce.”

 

“Dr. Banner?”

 

“The very one. Of course, he wasn’t Bruce at the time, but The Hulk-” She felt him shudder. “And he was one of the Grandmaster’s champions and...well, that part of the story is really unnecessary and quite boring.”

 

It didn’t sound too boring but Shuri let him continue how he wanted.

 

“Somehow the three of them managed to escape through a wormhole and headed to Asgard to stop our sister from killing everyone. She’d nearly succeeded but for the good grace and level head of Heimdall. He’s always been too good for us. Don’t tell him I said that.” She giggled and said she wouldn’t. “And I showed up a bit later-there’s a reason for that, and it’s boring too-and brought the ship that saved our people and got us off Asgard just as it burst into flame and exploded.”

 

“Wow.”

 

“I know. And my dear sister died in the explosion. Presumably. We don’t really know. But anyway, the point I was making is that years and years before this, before either Thor or I were born, my father had the Valkyrior attack Hela in order to subdue her. This didn’t work very well and all of them were killed in that attack, or so we were told as children. We weren’t told a lot of the truth of anything, looking back.”

 

“Hmmm.”

 

“Hilde...my Hilde, was the lone survivor. No one knew she survived. No one seemed to care, I suppose. She ran off to wherever and ended up on Sakaar where she drank herself into a half stupor and forgot...or tried to forget, everything about that until we showed up.”

 

“Were those the memories you dredged up, then?” Shuri asked, and when he nodded, it was grave and a little sheepish.

 

“Yes. But in my defense, I mostly only brought the memory forth in order to subdue her enough that she didn’t break my neck with her knee.”

 

“Loki! That’s still not very nice.”

 

“We were fighting! And I play dirty when I fight.” He sniffed and pressed his lips into a line. He didn’t seem too sheepish about that. “It didn’t work. I knew it wouldn’t, but...well, this had a double effect. It would prompt her to help Thor and we’d save Asgard. Or try to.” He was quiet for a moment, as if he were grappling with something internally. “I readily admit that invading another’s mind is quite possibly one of the filthiest tricks in the book.”

 

Shuri thought to tell him that if given the chance, she’d probably have done the same thing too, simply because playing by the rules sometimes got you nowhere and even killed. She’d seen how well that had worked for T’Challa on Warrior Falls. But then the car started to slow and their stop was announced and apparently, Loki was finished with his story.

 

“So. Are you ready to get into a little trouble?” he asked her, as they stood and swayed with the slowed car.

 

“Trouble?” Shuri thought of the possibilities, and of all the mischief they could get into in one evening and grinned. With Loki at her side, she had a feeling it was going to be an eventful night. “Bring it on.”

 

* * *

 

It was a four minute walk and another subway ride and then more walking before they got to the club. Shuri stared up at the brick building and the long line that curved around the sidewalk and then to her date, who was on the phone with someone. He seemed to be talking important business, and she took the time he was occupied to check her own phone.

 

No messages. No notifications. She was still on the free and clear. And oddly enough, that didn’t make her feel alone or badly at all. She smiled and stuffed her phone back into her wristlet just as Loki hung up.

 

“Should be but a moment, darling. I have an acquaintance inside who’ll get us past that line.”

 

“Oh, good. I was wondering if we’d had to wait all night.” She knew she sounded a little bratty but she couldn’t really help it. She was a princess. She rarely had to wait for anything.

 

“Nope. Now, if you’ll allow me, I’d like to give you a few tips once we get inside.” He paused and raised a brow. “You have never been inside one of the establishments while in America, have you?”

 

She shook her head. She and her cousins and her best friends had gone a billion times back home, to the point she had her own booth at one of her favorite spots. But she hadn’t ever thought to go to one while in the States.

 

“Alright. I had assumed you hadn't but...anyway, get in and follow me and keep your hand on mine at all times. It’s dark in there. You won’t be able to see very well and the music is god awfully loud most of the times, but it’s not too bad once you have enough liquor in your veins. I don’t get drunk easily, so you can drink all you want and be perfectly safe with me. But if you ever come alone or with a friend-I don’t imagine James would like a nightclub, but perhaps a bar-this same rule applies. _Never_ _ever_ take a drink from someone you don’t know unless you watch it being made.”

 

Shuri frowned. “Why?”

 

“Because unscrupulous worthless pieces of shit will try to drug you and take you back to whatever cave they crawled from and rape you.”

 

He sounded so angry it scared her a bit, but she knew it wasn’t directed at her. Even so, she stiffened at that and squeezed his arm a little harder than she intended but he only patted her hand understandably.

 

“That doesn’t happen back in Wakanda,” she said quietly. “We’ve got clubs there, but…”

 

“I understand. Your home is one of the safest places in the galaxy. You needn't worry there. But New York is a different animal and American men are terrible human beings who all should be corralled and hosed down for good measure.”

 

That made her giggle a little, and she loosened her hold on Loki. His phone chose to ding just then and he looked down, then smiled at her.

 

“Time to see what kind of shit we can stir up.”

 

Slipping inside the club was an easy endeavor when Loki’s man came to the door, a burly bald guy with a thick beard and shades on in the dark. The second he saw Loki he extended his hand and the two of them did some sort of elaborate handshake that ended with Loki patting him on the back.

 

“Good to see you too, Mikey.”

 

“Same here, highness. How’s my best girl?”

 

“Oh, she’s as splendid as ever. At a party with some buddies of hers tonight, so I’m taking out a friend, showing her the sights. You know, New York is my second home.”

 

Mikey snorted and shook his head, putting the velvet rope back into place and leading them into the club and down a steep, narrow flight of stairs. The music could be practically felt from this close and Shuri found she was unreasonably nervous. She wasn’t sure if it was Loki’s warning or the fact that she’d come here to attempt to seduce someone, but she felt like she was paddling in unfamiliar waters. They rounded a corner and then down more stairs before she saw the telltale flashing neon lights and smoke of the club. On one far end was the bar, liquor bottles stacked high in a pyramid in front of a large mirror. On the other end were cushions and the restrooms, where some of the women sat with their heels in hand and their phones out.

 

It wasn’t too full yet, and the music wasn’t that great, but it would have to do.

 

Loki said his goodbyes to Mikey and went to the bar, Shuri still on his arm, to grab her a drink.

 

“I’m starting you on soda,”he said over the thumping beat and she nodded, glancing around at who was dancing and who wasn’t. It was pretty scarce on the floor and it made her almost want to yawn. Loki noticed her expression and laughed, though she felt it more than heard it.

 

“Things pick up within an hour or so. But if not, we can always hit another spot I know of. That place is huge, so, you’ll see more people.”

 

“Okay!”

 

“And don’t take my warning as me saying not have fun. If a guy wants to dance with you and you’re amenable, go! I won’t hold you back. Just be careful. And if you need me, I’m always aware of where you are.”

 

That was reassuring and so she relaxed a bit, took the cherry Sprite the bartender gave her with a thanks, and settled on one of the plush white couches to people watch for a while.

 

Loki seemed content to lean back and watch her in the meantime. She leaned into him and pointed out this person and that, commenting on their pretty dress or their cute heels. Loki shrugged as if none of it really mattered to him, but when she grimaced at a girl in poor fitting pumps that didn’t match her skirt, he chuckled. And that’s when she realized her new friend was a gossip and a little bit on the rude side.

 

But of course he was. He was Loki, for Bast’s sake.

 

Their conversation shifted from awful outfits and hair, to the douchey guys in the corner who kept trying to hit on everything walking past.

 

“Should I go over and hurt their feelings?” Shuri asked Loki, mostly joking, but the idea did sound appealing.

 

“Oh heavens, no. Would be a waste of your talents. Besides, they’re glaring me to death for sitting with you.” He sipped his third martini and laughed again. “I’m the luckiest man in this damn club and they know it. You’re miles out of their league. Trust me, better fish will come swimming in in a short while.”

 

And he was right. No sooner did midnight hit did the crowd seem to shift. The outfits were sexier, less tacky, more expensive. The music changed from lazy top 40 and outdated pop to slick hip hop beats and classic house music.

 

“DJ must have switched over, too,” she commented, as the floor finally filled out and the couches cleared. It left her and Loki sitting, and he stretched, put his half finished drink on the little table beside him, and stood.

 

“Care to dance, darling?”

 

“Why, I’d love to,”she quipped, and took his waiting hand, the beat of the song already getting into her bones. She didn’t quite recognize who was rapping, but she loved the music, and she felt her hips start to sway on their own, the hem of her little golden dress swishing around her melodically. She didn’t even really notice that she’d danced right into the center of the floor without Loki, or that he'd slipped over to the other side of the floor. She opened her eyes and realized that she was dancing close to a group of about four young women, who caught her glance, grinned, and gestured for her to come over.

 

“I love your dress!” one of the girls yelled, her pretty red hair piled on top her head in a messy bun. She held a dark glass of something in one hand as her body wiggled around to the song.

 

“Thank you!” Shuri responded, and she noticed how the girl’s eyes widened when she caught wind of her accent.

 

“Dude, where are you from? Your accent is so fucking cool!”

 

Well, that was a first. Most Americans found her accent odd. But she knew how to take a compliment anyway, so she smiled and thanked her again.

 

“Hell, you are so pretty. Like, come dance with us. Hey, Hayley! I found us a friend!”

 

Shuri couldn’t help but laugh as she was pulled into the circle of girls. This hadn’t quite been her objective, but she couldn’t deny that it was nice to have people want to interact with her like so. “Hey, what’s your name by the way? I’m Melissa.”

 

“Shuri!” She said, loud enough she thought, but the girl leaned down and asked her again.

 

“I said, Shuri!”

 

“Shuri? Like...that princess from Africa?

 

Shuri almost burst out laughing again but smothered it enough to confirm. “Exactly.”

 

Melissa stared at her for a long second, dancing all the while, until her eyes got impossibly wider. “Holy fucking shit, you are her! I’ve seen you in Teen People! Hayley! Hayley, fuck, we got a princess over here!”

 

Hayley, a short girl with cropped dark hair turned around and glanced at her friend and then at Shuri and paused her dancing for a moment. And then her eyes widened and she tugged the other two-Anna and Deleigh-to come say hello.

 

“Like, do we call you your highness?”

 

Shuri shook her head. “Oh please, no. No, not necessary at all! Just Shuri is fine.”

 

“This is so freakin’ cool,” Deleigh said, pulling out her phone. “Wait till Zara finds out! She’s gonna be so pissed that she’s spending her weekend at her boyfriend’s house.”

 

The girls took turns asking Shuri a bunch of pretty asinine questions, but it was so nice to not have to think deep about anything she was being asked. They asked about her favorite designers, her favorite nail polish, how she did her makeup, if she was dating anyone. And at that, she glanced over to where Loki was holding up the bar, another drink in hand, this one purple and undoubtedly fruity. He graced her with a soft smile and nodded his approval.

 

“I uh...not yet? I have a guy I’m kinda crushing on,” she said, finding that she was adopting their lax manner of speaking without really trying. No one could ever accuse her of not being adaptable.

 

“Yeah? Is he cute?” That was Anna.

 

“Oh yeah, he’s…” She sighed, thinking of Bucky and how beautiful he was and shrugged because she couldn’t quite put it into words. “He’s so sweet. Strong and smart and he protects me. He’s one of my best friends, but I don’t think he wants me like that.”

 

“Why the hell not?!” Hayley asked, absolutely indignant. “You’re a goddamn princess. Excuse my language.”

 

“Right?” Deleigh shook her head and twirled around as the song started to change. “Anybody would be lucky to date you. And it doesn’t hurt that you’re absolutely gorgeous  and your’re the smartest woman alive. You make anyone else look lousy.”

 

“I don’t want that,” Shuri said, frowning, and Melissa smacked her friend, though not too hard.

 

“You guys, stop depressing her! We’re supposed to be showing her a good time, okay? It’s the American way.”

 

Deleigh said a soft sorry but Shuri shook it off and smiled so she wouldn’t feel so bad about it. The thought of Bucky, of how intimidating she probably was to most people, of her intelligence possibly being a barrier for making more friends had dampened her spirits a bit, but dancing with the girls for a few songs more cheered her up again.

 

Her feet hurt by the time they all pulled off the floor and headed over to the couches to rest. Loki was already waiting, a drink in his hand, the same purple fruity concoction he’d been sipping earlier. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek, taking the drink with a thanks, and then made quick introductions to the four very starstruck girls behind her.

 

“Holy shit.” Anna covered her mouth after her little outburst and then blushed beet red. “You’re _the_ Loki?”

 

“The one that’s a prince, right? Shit, makes perfect sense that you’re with Shuri, you know. Royalty's gotta stick together.” Hayley swayed in her seat to the music now playing, though she made no move to get up.

 

“The very one. It’s a pleasure, ladies.” Loki turned on the charm to 7, a suitable level for young women who were already googly eyed over him just from a glance. Shuri was sure if he really dialed it up, they’d all be puddles of goo over the couches and the thought made her snicker. He chatted them one after the other, answering their questions graciously, and even offered to buy them all a round of shots.

 

Three rounds later and they were ready to get back to dancing again, though Melissa seemed a little annoyed at the guys that were on the floor. “They’re better than the frat guys from earlier, but they’re still basic as fuck.”

 

“Yeah,” Anna agreed. “I would much rather go down to Mambo and dance there, but-”

 

“Yo, why don’t we just go then? And I bet Chris Freely’s working the bar tonight.” Hayley glanced over meaningfully at Deleigh, who pretended to be completely unaffected. Shuri had a inkling of why she was reacting thus, and nudged Loki to get his attention.

 

“Some place called Mambo?”

 

His face brightened up. “Mambo is amazing, darling, you’d love it! It’s got three stories and four bars and the music is decent. Plus, I know all the bouncers there. We lucked out that Mikey was working tonight, or we’d probably still be in line.”

 

“So we’re headed out, then?” He nodded and finished his drink, then grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.

 

“If you want to go. This is about you tonight, remember?”

 

She glanced down at the girls who were putting their heels back on and finishing their drinks, and then to the dance floor. It was still crowded but the music hadn’t been popping the way it was that first hour after shift change. And they were definitely right about the guys, who all huddled in the corner and seemed to be content with letting women walk up to them instead of actively looking to approach. That turned her off.

 

“Take me to Mambo, Loki.” She extended her hand and helped Melissa get up from the couch in the stilettos she wore and wrapped her other arm around Loki’s once more. “Would you all like to go with us? Loki says he knows a way to get us in without waiting.”

 

“Can you get us in cover free, Prince Loki?” Anna asked. “I’m gonna be broke as hell tomorrow if I have to keep shelling out twenty bucks to get into a club. Plus drinks, plus uber money.”

 

“I most definitely can,” he responded, though he couldn’t suppress a sigh. She wasn’t sure if it was annoyance of if he simply felt like the designated driver of the situation now. She wasn’t wobbly on her feet any, opting to only sip on her purple drink instead of doing shots and he wasn't drunk in the slightest, but the girls were giggly and a bit tipsy. Shuri felt responsible, and Loki probably did as well, though begrudgingly. He didn’t seem to warm to too many people, though he’d taken the girls’s accolades and adoration in stride.

 

The six of them climbed the stairs back up to the street and stumbled out into the New York night a little disoriented. Anna giggled and swayed, holding on to Deleigh so she wouldn’t fall and Hayley shimmied along to the beat of the song that poured out of the open door. After a quick goodbye to the bouncer, who paid them no attention and wasn’t Mikey, they started off down the street and toward a bench where they could sit and wait for their uber. In the meantime, Loki gave them all a few ground rules.

 

“If you are going to spend the evening with Princess Shuri and myself, you’ll have to do as I say without question.” The girls all sat up straight and listened intently. “There will be no lone wolves. We all stick together. If one of you needs to use the restroom, take a friend. If one of you want to dance and the others don’t, you’ll grab me and I’ll chaperone while you do.”

 

“Wait,” Hayley said, shaking her head. “You’re gonna stand over in the corner and watch us grind up on some guys?”

 

He raised a dark brow with the sort of expression that spoke of no arguments. “Is that a problem, Miss Hayley?”

 

To Shuri’s surprise, she shook her head and her smile was so grateful it was almost heartbreaking. “Oh god no, no! I just...I’m stunned you care that much! Dude, you are like the coolest guy...fuck anyone who says you’re an asshole for 2012.”

 

“For real,” Melissa added. “You’re the sweetest guy ever. You’re like, an actual nice guy and not a 'nice guy', you know?”

 

The confusion must have been written all over Shuri’s face because Loki leaned down to explain a bit. “I am assuming that our new friends have run into some unsavory members of the male species who don't care enough about their welfare to look out for them.”

 

“That’s sad.”

 

“Very. My mother didn’t raise a brute, contrary to what may have been said about me.”

 

“Oh, I’m very much aware.” She smiled and kissed his cheek again, her chest warming when he smiled back softly.

 

“Since we have that settled, I’d also like to add that if you are ready to leave the establishment at anytime, you only need let me know. I shall make sure you’re escorted home safely and without any issue. Any questions?”

 

The girls shook their heads, looking up at the tall, pale, prince before them as if he had hung the very moon and Shuri couldn’t help matching their adoring gaze. He kept vigil for their vehicle, his hands crossed over his chest like a beacon, the wind ruffling his dark hair elegantly. She couldn't quite keep her eyes away from him, to the point that Anna nudged her side and leaned over to whisper.

 

“Is that your crush, Shuri?” she asked, her eyes curious and sparkling in the street lights.

 

Shuri bit her lip and grinned, nodding her head because it seemed that she did, in fact, have a crush on Loki.

 

“Yeah,” she whispered back, as if she were sharing some important secret. “That’s definitely him.”

 

* * *

 

 

Mambo’s was humongous. There wasn’t any exaggeration on the stories, nor on the long line outside the building. And Loki hadn’t been lying about knowing all the bouncers either, because when the uber dropped them off at the sidewalk, he only needed to head directly to that velvet rope and tap on the big man’s shoulders.

 

“Ahhhh Prince Loki!” he said jovially, clapping his back much in the same way as Mikey had done. “Good to see you tonight! What brings you in? It’s 90’s night, I didn’t think that was up your alley.”

 

“I’m a man of many tastes, David. I tend to like all kinds and all types.” He turned around and gestured to the girls behind them as if presenting an example. Shuri found the whole spiel annoying, though humorously so, and rolled her eyes as David laughed knowingly.

 

“Ahh, I see. So your usual lady friend is…”

 

“Occupied. She’s got her own tastes as well, you know.”

 

“Mmm. I like a woman with options. Well, would you like to reserve a section? I can buzz Frank and tell him to get you a bottle and a waitress.”

 

“That would be marvelous, thank you.”

 

Loki grabbed Shuri’s hand and then nodded for her to grab the girls and they all followed him into the cadaverous club hand in hand, Anna and Hayley already bopping along to the music playing. And this selection was better than before, though some of the songs were beyond Shuri’s knowledge. She wasn't quite that brushed up on her American dance music as she should have been, but perhaps she’d remedy that tonight.

 

Whoever Frank was, he’d made quick work of reserving them all a spot in the VIP section up on the top level. Shuri and the girls squeezed into the expensive sofa as Loki leaned over the railing and watched the partying going on below. It was loud, flashy, and full of energy, and just like she hoped it would be when they’d left the hotel. This was the kind of club she’d imagined when Loki said he’d take her out.

 

“So, I’m thinking about what Prince Loki said,” Melissa said, reaching over for the bottle of champagne and popping the cork expertly. Shuri watched, impressed. She poured them all glasses of the bubbly and offered one to Loki, who turned and shook his head cordially, then turned back to the crowd. Shuri wondered what he was looking at.

 

“About what?” Anna asked, once she’d taken a sip of her drink.

 

“About staying together and whatnot. Smartest idea of the evening, honestly. And yeah, I feel safer when all of us are on the floor or in the restrooms. So why don’t we pick a time to go dancing and all go down at the same time? That way, he doesn’t have to stand and watch one of us like a babysitter.”

 

“I’m no one’s babysitter,” Loki said, though he never once turned around and Shuri thought she saw the girl blush, though it was hard to tell under the cover of dark.

 

“Oh! I know, I just...I don’t want you to have to do any of that when we can make it easier and just dance together.”

 

Loki did turn this time, and his face softened. “I meant no harm, darling. I only want you to know that while you are all smart, capable women, I would feel horrible if something were to happen and I couldn't prevent it. But if you’d all prefer to dance together, feel free! I may even come down to join you.”

 

When he turned to the railing again, Shuri slid off the couch and left the girls to chattering among themselves, deciding on when the best time to go down to the dance floor would be.

 

“Hey.”

 

“Hello, sweeting.”

 

She smiled at that, and her heart skipped a beat when he smiled at her warmly. She really hadn’t been lying when she’d said she had a crush. It had come on quick and furious.

 

“Are you alright? You’ve been looking down at the minions below since we got here.”

 

“I’m trying to decide whether anyone down there is worthy.”

 

She made a face, confused for a second, until she remembered they’d come here specifically so she could seduce the pants off as many men as she possibly could. And she wasn’t really sure if she’d be able to seduce anyone, but Loki seemed convinced. He wouldn’t even let her try unless the targets were to his liking. Bast, he was picky.

 

“Oh. Well, do you see anyone?”

 

He hummed and waited, then nodded and pointed to a tall man near the west end of the club. Shuri couldn’t really see that well from this high, but he had a walk about him that was attractive and she caught a glimpse of a bright white smile set in a dark face. She had a feeling he was probably ridiculously handsome, and she leaned over the railing a little to see if she could scope out someone similar.

 

Another man, this one a bit shorter and buffer, with short dark hair and fair skin, meandered through the crowd leisurely with a drink in hand and a smooth, easy gait. Loki pointed out a few more candidates and Shuri realized they all had something in common: they were all reasonably tall, fit, and had really sexy walks.

 

Maybe the walk really did make the man, she mused, and she tapped her fingers on the railing in anticipation of starting her lesson for the night. At the same time, though, fear started to tangle in her belly and she almost thought of telling Loki that it wasn't that important, that maybe she could do this once she’d had more practice.

 

And then she realized that this _was_ practice. Bucky was the end game. That made her even more nervous, because with him she had something to lose. So she could do this, she decided. If she failed, oh well. She had a whole week with Loki in New York; they could figure something out together.

 

Buoyed by this thought, she turned to him and matched his smirk.

 

“Are you ready, sweet girl?”

 

She nodded. “I think so. I’m a little...nervous.”

 

“You should not be nervous at all,” he assured her. “Remember what I said. Don’t doubt yourself and don’t try to be anything other than yourself. You have all you need at your disposal to woo any man you wish.”

 

“Are you certain?”

 

“I am. Would you like me to come along and get you started?”

 

She thought it over for a second and figured that for this first go round, it would probably be a good idea. “Yeah. If you don’t mind.”

 

“Will you girls be coming with us? We’re headed to the floor.”

 

Anna glanced between them and shook her head. “Nah, not right now, Prince Loki. We’re gonna wait few more songs. You guys have fun!”

 

“Alright. Well, if you do decide to come down, make sure to come together or in pairs. No one alone, remember?”

 

They all shouted their affirmative and went back to gossiping and giggling about whatever they were gossiping and giggling about. Loki slipped his hand into Shuri’s and led her down the stairs from the third level and bypassed the second, until they were met with the sea of people dancing and drinking on the first. He held her back before she could try joining in and pulled her flush against his body, his mouth right by her ear, his hand on her belly.

 

It was making her throat dry, but she couldn’t dwell on that. She needed to focus.

 

“Stay true to yourself,” he began, his voice low and meant only for her. “Don’t pretend to be someone you aren’t. What you are, who you are is remarkable enough. You own the world, sweet girl. You have the entire world in the palm of your pretty little hand and all you have to do is hold on to it. Do you understand? Let them come to you, love. Don’t force it. They’ll see you and they’ll know and no one will be able to resist you.” He kissed her temple affectionately and his hold eased up but he held on to her long enough to give her a parting word of encouragement.

 

“There is no way you can fail, Shuri. You are _beautiful_. You are _sexy_ , and you are _desirable_. Remember that.” And then he nudged her out toward the sea of people and as if by magic, as she stepped onto the floor, everyone parted for her.

 

It was like walking in a dream, and Shuri had to breathe deep to keep from shaking so. Why was she so nervous, she thought, when everything Loki said was true? She’d seen how people saw her as she walked down the street earlier in the night. She’d heard people talking about her while waiting on the trains. She’d gotten nothing but good coming her way all night, so why would be any different? Somehow, that completely quelled any of the butterflies that fought inside her belly and she wove her way around the crowd as the lights flashed around her like beacons. It was almost as if they were flashing for her, to announce her presence and the thought made her smile.

 

The song over the speaker switched and she could feel the bass line thumping in her veins. She wanted to dance, to pull her hair up and sway around as if no one was watching but it seemed no one could take their eyes off her. And for whatever reason, that was even better. _I am a daughter of Wakanda_ , she thought to herself, as the music took hold and she forgot to be shy or nervous or self conscious. _Rhythm and sensuality lives in my very bones. I am everything._

 

She started to wind her hips slowly at first, catching the melody, the vibrations of the dance floor seeping into her skin. And she closed her eyes though lights still sparkled behind her closed lids. She didn't think about anything in those moments, the thrumming of the sexy song stirring her blood and making her breathless. She just danced, and moved, and let the song carry her around the floor until the beat shifted and she opened her eyes once more.

 

People still watched her, almost to the point she felt claustrophobic. She realized no one had disturbed her dancing to talk to her, but no matter. If they wanted a piece of her, they’d come looking for her. She searched for Loki and found him right where she’d left him and he nodded for her to go over to the bar. He seemed to know something she didn’t because the look on his face was both pleased and...if she wasn’t imagining it, aroused.

 

That made her grin harder than anything.

 

Sitting at the bar, Shuri took a moment to catch her breath and waved to the bartender to order a water at the very least. She was parched and sweat dotted her brow and collarbone. It was much cooler out of the swarm of moving bodies, but the air was still thick and a little hazy and she needed something to wet her throat.

 

Before she could turn and make her order, however, she felt the warmth of a body sidle up to her, and when she turned her head ( _slowly, only acknowledge that someone is there, sweet girl, not that you care that he’s exists_ ), there was Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome waiting, a soft smile on his face and blatant interest in his eyes. She fought the urge to react like a deer in headlights, and granted him a smile of her own, one that was only just barely a smirk, then turned back to the bar.

 

“May I buy you a drink?”

 

Oh. His voice was nice, too. So he had the complete package then; sexy walk, beautiful smile, gorgeous eyes, skin that looked like it was made of the sweetest chocolate, and he smelled divine.

 

“Oh yes,” she breathed, careful to keep her voice light and sweet. “I’d absolutely adore you if you did.” Was that laying it on too thick? She couldn’t tell, because he leaned over the bar and raised his hand, his focus on the bartender who had moved down to wait on someone else. In the interim, as the man wrangled the bartender back over, she let her eyes wander along his broad shoulders and lean chest to his hands, big and smooth and well manicured. He was a man with means, who obviously took pride in taking care of himself. Probably hadn’t done any hard labor recently, so she guessed he was probably a broker or a lawyer of some sort. Before she could try and gather anymore Intel on her suitor, he was asking for her order.

 

( _Pretend like you have no idea what you want and let him choose. You don’t have to like it, darling, but he’ll feel in control._ )

 

“Anything in particular you’d like, pretty girl?”

 

Shuri made a show of trying to decide. “I really don’t know. I’m not from around here.”

 

“Damn right you aren’t,” he purred, smiling. “There’s nobody around here like you. Well, do you mind if I choose for you?”

 

She shook her head, kept her eyes wide and innocent. ( _Play up the sweetness in you. Make it your weapon._ ) “That would be so sweet of you. Just make sure it’s something sweet, will you?”

 

He winked and shot of some elaborate drink name to the bartender who didn’t seem phased at all, and turned around to mix it all together. Shuri kept her eyes up at the bar, seemingly fascinated with the drink mixing process, but in her peripherals, she watched as the man drank in every little bit of her appearance, right down to her toes. ( _You’d be surprised what fascinates and titillates men, Shuri. Never think any part of you isn’t alluring because it is._ )

 

When the drink came, it was neon blue and rimmed with pink sugar. Shuri smiled, took a careful sip and though the alcohol in it was almost nonexistent and overwhelmed by the sugar, she made a show of pretending it was perfect. “Oh yeah, that’s exactly what I wanted. What do you call this by the way?”

 

“A little creation of my own. I call them Venus Nipples.”

 

That made Shuri giggle, genuinely, because it was the silliest name she’d ever heard for a drink except for buttery nipples. What were mixologists obsession with nipples?

 

“It’s delicious. Thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome. Now, are you going to tell me what someone as beautiful as you are is doing here alone?”

 

She wasn’t alone, not by a long shot, but it wouldn’t hurt to pretend she was. So she made up some silly story about being bored at home after a painful breakup and even went so far as to project a few empty tears, too. That had him leaning into her so close she could feel his breath on her shoulder. He told her jokes, complimented every bit of her from her “gorgeous skin” to her “bright eyes” and kept a finger trailing across her knuckles.

 

If she didn’t have an objective, she figured she’d actually be a little swept up in his affections. He was smooth, she had to hand that to him. And he was easy on the eyes, too. But he was boring, painfully so, and only seemed to want to talk about her and wouldn’t give her any insight on himself. She didn’t even know his name. Unsure if she should ask (she didn’t really care, but it would help to keep tabs on him when she moved on), she asked him for another drink. The one she’d finished hadn’t even made her tingle.

 

“Same one?”

 

“Oh yes, that was amazing. But I’ll make you a deal?”

 

“Oh? I love making deals. I’m a broker.” Bingo. She had that right, then.

 

“Ahhh so someone incredibly important then. I could tell. You really just give me that aura...that you’re someone of incredible intelligence and value.” She let her voice drop a little bit, loosening up her shoulders so he’d think the alcohol was affecting her. And he grinned then, like a cat that had caught a canary and waved for the bartender again.

 

“What’s your deal, beautiful?”

 

“I’ll take another drink and maybe a dance with you if you tell me your name.”

 

He laughed, his beautiful smile on full display and she found he did indeed have a lovely laugh, so she couldn’t help but smile back and press her hand to his chest as she leaned into him.

 

“Just my name? That’s not an even exchange.”

 

“It’s not?” She frowned a bit and he tapped her chin with his finger playfully.

 

“Oh no. I get so much more than you’ll get. How about I give you this: a drink for my name, a dance for yours.” Shuri considered, figured it wasn’t a bad exchanged, and then offered him her hand.

 

“Sounds like a good deal to me.”

 

The bartender slid her a fresh Venus Nipples and kept her gaze for a little longer than she anticipated he would. And as her suitor turned to the side to pull some bills from his pocket, she glanced in the other direction and found blue green eyes in the dark, watching her, keeping tabs on her every move. It was comforting, honestly. If anything got out of hand, she had a dangerous, slick man with powers she didn’t even understand at his fingertips to protect her.

 

Shuri sipped her drink and sighed appreciatively, aware now that there wasn’t a drop of alcohol at all in this one. That had to have been Loki’s doing, if the bartender’s glance was any indication. He didn’t want her drunk, or even tipsy. He wanted her attentive and alert. She only needed play the part, and that she could do.

 

“So. Since you’ve gotten your drink and seem to really like it-”

 

“I do.”

 

“I’m Charles.”

 

Shuri smiled softly and tossed her braids over one shoulder, her neck bare and inviting and she caught his eyes trailing down the expanse of it before darting up to meet hers again. It was almost thrilling to know she could distract someone with just a glance at the skin of her neck. Of all places, her neck. Why? She couldn’t quite understand. But she remembered Loki’s little anecdote and filed away that piece of information for later use.

 

Her neck was alluring. So were her legs and her feet and her hands, because Charles kept watching her fingers waving about as she talked to him excitedly about literature and poetry. It was conversation just deep enough that he didn’t lose interest, but not too deep he would feel threatened. No one really wanted to hear her thoughts on the real important stuff-physics and astronomy and genetics and mechanics. Nobody wanted to know about her innovations with atom reconstruction and her theories on light travel.

 

Well, Loki might be interested. He’d seemed a little piqued at dinner.

 

The DJ shifted the song from old techno to something a little more sultry and vibrating and Charles took that opportunity to slide off the bar stool and ask for his dance. She took his hand eagerly, the urge to get out and move actually genuine, and he pulled her into the middle of the floor, wrapped an arm around her waist from behind and started to move his hips in time with the music.

 

And it took all she had inside her not to jerk away and push off of him because it was a little too close too soon. But she could do this. She wasn’t a child. She couldn’t play shy now. He’d plied her with three drinks and talked her head off and flashed his expensive cuff links, so he had to think he had his way with her. Poor thing. The truth was, she’d thoroughly wooed him, and he was under her thumb. And so she moved with him, finding her rhythm easily, pretending that the warm body behind her wasn’t some stranger broker with beautiful teeth but asinine conversation. She closed her eyes and slid her hands up the arms that held her and pretended, for just the space of that song, that it was someone else.

 

Someone with blue eyes and and a sweet, crooked smile. Someone who called her sugar and kept her safe and made her whole chest feel like it would burst with just a soft laugh.

 

She could pretend it was Bucky if she didn’t take into consideration that Charles was taller and slimmer, or that he kept panting in her ear, or that his grinding was a bit more aggressive than anything Bucky would have ever done. Bucky was gruff and a little unpolished, but he was still a gentleman, and would have caught her cues that she was uncomfortable

 

Fortunately for Shuri, the song was over and something much more fast paced came on. She waved her hand in front of her chest and blew out a breath, grinning as she turned to her suitor and pretended to be out of breath and overwhelmed.

 

“Oh god, that was so fun! I need to run to the ladies, if you don’t mind.”

 

“Oh yeah, of course! I’ll be over in that booth over there,” he told her, pointing up to the second level, and a pair of couches almost directly below where Frank had shown them to earlier. She nodded, leaned up and kissed his cheek with a slow, lingering press of her lips, and let a little of her warm breath slip across his jaw. He shivered and she felt it and it made her feel giddy.

 

“Be good until I get back, okay?” And with that, she swung her hair back across her shoulders again and wove through the crowd, just slow enough that her hips swayed like a pendulum, that she left a lasting effect, and disappeared into the sea of bodies.

 

* * *

 

Shuri really did have to pee, after three sugary Venus Nipples and a little champagne from earlier. She waited patiently for a stall to empty, slipped inside as soon as it was unoccupied, did her business, and went to the mirror to freshen up. And what she saw made her mouth open in surprise.

 

She looked like walking _sex_ in every sense of the word.

 

It was odd, at first. She hadn’t done much of anything but dance a bit, drink a little, giggle and flirt and pretend to be interested in someone who found her absolutely breathtaking. But it showed on every inch of her glimmering skin, the brown accented in the bathroom’s soft lighting as bronzed and shimmering. Her eyes seemed richer, her lips fuller, her body ripe for the picking. It was almost enough to arouse herself and she let her fingertips graze over the skin of her throat, swallowing a soft whisper of a moan bubbling her her throat. But the public restroom of a New York City nightclub was not the place to explore her own attraction to herself. So she made sure her makeup held tight (of course it had, it was magic) and checked her phone again (no messages, still) and went back out into the fray.

 

Charles was exactly where he’d said he’d be, but he didn’t see her just yet. And she was done with that part of the seduction. She had to make him know she wasn’t without options, that she could have whomever she wished and didn’t depend on his boring stories for validation. She made a beeline for the staircase opposite the bathroom and away from where he could see, climbing them slowly and keeping her gaze on whoever passed her on the way down.

 

And it never failed. Every little glance graced her with an awed smile, or a curious, lingering gaze. She collected each one like gems, stored them in her psyche for later, and went the long way around to VIP.

 

Loki was waiting when she returned, leaning over the railing once again with a glass of champagne in hand. He only just turned his head to acknowledge her, but his free hand motioned for her to join him.

 

“Where are the girls?” she asked, putting her wristlet on the table and taking in a relaxing breath. It was a lot less hectic up here, and the music, though still loud and thumping, didn’t feel as though it would shake her bones apart. She could get a bit of a breather.

 

“Having the absolute time of their lives. They’re apparently friends with the disc jockey. They’ve been buttering him up all night, especially Deleigh.”

 

Shuri chuckled and moved to his side, leaning over the railing and letting out a slow breath.

 

“So. How am I doing so far?”

 

He turned his head to watch her and there was something in his eyes that made her skin prickle deliciously.

 

“You are surpassing all my expectations, darling.”

 

She smiled. “Thank you.”

 

Loki pushed back from the railing a bit and extended his hand to her and she took it, only barely suppressing a little squeal when he tugged her toward him and settled her in front of him. He caged her in with his arms, his head coming over to her neck to place the softest of kisses there. She felt her knees getting weak and she blinked slow, heavy, her whole body aware of his that close to hers. What was his aim? What was he trying to do to her? She had her game on lock all night and he was throwing her a curve ball.

 

Whatever reactions she’d drawn forth to play with Charles were raw and unscripted when it came to Loki, and it was a little terrifying.

 

“We move on into the second part of our lesson, now. You’re going to do the same thing you did with your first target on another. And then another, and another until you’ve got at least five men vying for your attention, clamoring to buy you drinks.”

 

“You really think I can do that?”

 

He scoffed and let out a breathy little laugh. “Gods yes. You are aware of how much attention you attract, yes?” She nodded. She did notice that she was being noticed and far more than she ever really had been. But being noticed wasn’t the same as actually being able to duplicate her results with Charles on anyone else. He turned her head to look at him and she saw a sternness there she hadn’t before.

 

“What did I say about self doubt.”

 

Shuri sighed. “Don’t do it.” She shook her head and pouted. “That’s easier said than done, Loki. I’ve never done this before.”

 

“That’s no matter! People do things for the first time all the time, and many times the succeed. You’ve already won one suitor, what makes you think anyone else is different enough that you can’t win them as well? Remember what I told you, sweeting. Men are simple creatures. You need not change your approach too much in order to acquire another target.”

 

It sounded a lot like hunting instead of charming or flirting or seduction, but she had a feeling that maybe that’s exactly what that was...hunting. She was a huntress and all those men down below were her prey.

 

“Okay...but if I don’t snag this one-”

 

“Then he’s probably not interested in women and isn’t a loss. Go. Make me proud.”

 

Shuri rolled her eyes but laughed when he lets her free of the railing and she grabbed the wristlet and a glass of champagne for the road. “Hey Loki?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Did you tell them not to put booze in my drinks?”

 

He didn’t say a word, just grins, and turns back around to watch the milieu below.

 

* * *

 

She likes to think that she does make him proud. She manages to charm drinks out of four more men, the fifth staring at her longingly but being tugged along by a very angry girlfriend, making Shuri laugh with intoxicating delight. This was almost too much fun and it scared her a bit at how easy it was to bat her lashes and act like an innocent dove and get what she wanted. One man had even asked if she wanted to come home with him. She’d almost blanked on what to do there, but decided to play along and pretend she would.

 

“My friends are still dancing,” she said in a breathy, sweet little voice. “But when the club closes…”

 

He’d growled and pulled her close and nibbled on her neck, and it was only by the grace of a well timed waiter did he pull back. Shuri straightened her dress and excused herself to the restroom once more, passing by Hayley and Anna who were attempting to slow grind on a set of twins.

 

“Shuri! Are you gonna come down and dance with us again?”

 

She glanced up to the VIP but couldn’t see Loki. Perhaps he’d gone outside to take a call or was down at one of the other bars to get another drink. She’d planned to spend the next few minutes up there with him, talking, touching, maybe even getting a dance out of him. She’d been trying to get him to come down and dance for the last hour, between suitors. But he’d laughed that rich, gorgeous laugh of his and shook his head and told her that he wasn’t much of a dancer.

 

“Not even for me?” She turned on a little of the charm she’d been using on all the others, half expecting it wouldn’t work on him even a little since he knew what she was doing. But his eyes swept over her body from head to toe, the way everyone else’s had been doing, and she thought she saw his pulse jump in his throat.

 

He hadn't said anything after that and they’d stood by the railing before she went down for her last target, a middle aged man with warm cognac eyes and grey at his temples. He wasn’t really what you’d call pretty, but there was an aged, rough handsomeness to him that made her flirtation a whole lot easier to put up with. It was only that he seemed to not really know personal boundaries that threw her off. But she’d managed to squeeze out of that, so she didn’t worry too much. She wouldn’t have to actually do anything with anyone she’d talked to tonight.

 

Turning back to her new friends, she tapped Hayley on the arm and nodded her consent.

 

“Yes! I’ll run to use the ladies and be back in just a bit, okay?”

 

She didn’t bother with a stall this time, content to stare into the mirror and at herself once again. She’d never thought she was ugly, ever, but she’d never really thought of herself as a sultry, seductive being. And yet, here she was, Aphrodite herself, sweet and sexy just the way Loki promised she would be.

 

When she got back to the dance floor, the mood had shifted yet again. She didn’t have any idea what song was starting to play, but whatever it was got stuck in her nerves and wouldn’t jar loose. She weaved through the crowd and found the girls-Deleigh the exception, since she was up in the DJ booth looking like she’d won first prize- but they all seemed to be occupied with other people. She glanced up at the VIP and still didn’t see Loki, so she settled for dancing alone this time, her body moving a little to the music as she tried to let the slightly bereft feeling seep out her body.

 

Why was she feeling like this anyway?

 

Shuri shook her head and pulled her braids up, the packed dance floor getting hotter and hotter as more people piled into it to grind and move along with the song. Whatever it was, it was popular; groups of girls hooted and hollered over the song and older guys were yelling something about a dance floor classic. She didn’t understand but the vibe was somewhat contagious and some of that melancholy from not having a partner started to wane.

 

And then, when she thought she was content to dance alone, she saw him in the middle of the floor, hands in pocket, his eyes on no one but her.

 

He didn’t have to call for her to come; he only needed to look and her feet carried her to him, pushing around couples and groups and standalone dancers, finally arriving to the center of the dance floor where he seemed to have a small clearing just for himself.

 

“I thought you said you don’t dance much,” she yelled over the music, and his grin was so seductive that she thought her skin would melt.

 

“I don’t,” he concurred, holding out his hand to her. She took it without hesitation and shivered at the coolness of his skin. “But darling...for you, I can do anything.”

 

He tugged her close, turned her around until his chest was pressed to her back, and slide a hand along her slim hips before he started to move with the beat, prompting her to move as well. This wasn’t the same as dancing with anyone else for some reason. This was dancing with the devil, flirting with danger and falling head first into an attraction she’d never planned for. But here she was, and she didn’t want to be anywhere else at that moment except dancing with him, just like this, this close.

 

Shuri let every inhibition float away and just let the music drive her movements, her body pushing and sliding against his, her hands grasping at the arms he had wrapped around her waist. She let her head fall back and her arms rise and she dug her hands into the cool silk of his hair, sighing when he groaned as she tugged on them hard.

 

“Oh, sweet Shuri,” he murmured, his body never losing time with the song. “What are you trying to do to me?”

 

She opened her eyes and met his in the dark of the club, the music pumping around them and opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn’t find a word to say. What was she doing? She had no idea. She just knew it felt right and her body felt heavy and achy and that she wanted him to touch her so very badly. She took one of her hands out his hair, slipped her fingers into his own, and then drug his hand down to the juncture of her thighs, down to where the tulip hem of her little glittering golden dress parted. And she let him touch her, cool hands and nimble fingers and she moaned out his name.

 

“Loki…”

 

His eyes went black and she thought she felt him shudder, but he pulled away, took her other hand and twirled her around. She thought he would pull her back to him and dance with her again, even as the song started to change into another, this one the same pace, just as sultry. But instead, he was knocked sideways and away from her as someone drunk and wobbly on their feet crashed into the two of them.

 

“Oh man, I’m so sorry!” the guy said, but he laughed loud and like an idiot, and didn’t look even the least bit apologetic. “Should have gotten the fuck out the way.” He stumbled over and sloshed his drink around, his eyes red and his skin flushed as he giggled and walked away.

 

At least, he tried walking away. He didn’t make it two steps before he was tripped by something and crash landed on his face, the glass in his hand crunching underneath him and slicing the entire left side of his face open. The crowd around them all gasped in shock and moved out the way, not really wanting to get involved, but unable to look away. Shuri looked away to search for Loki, who hovered in the background with flashing, almost murderous eyes. Had he done that without even touching the guy? If so, she was impressed.

 

“Hey, there pretty girl! I thought you’d up and disappeared on me!”

 

Shuri turned around and came face to face with Charles, who looked a lot less jovial than he sounded. He was pissed. And she figured it had something to do with her standing him up. Oops.

 

“You do that a lot, huh? Butter guys up and get drinks out of them and then run off to the next? I saw you grinding on that pasty son of a bitch earlier.”

 

Shuri found herself getting more irritated by the minute.

 

“What are you even rambling about?” she asked, pushing on his chest so he’d get out of her line of vision. She only wanted to get to Loki and ask him if he was alright, and maybe ask him how he did what he did so effortlessly. That was cool as hell. But Charles didn’t seem to want to let her move because he blocked her escape, glared down at her as if she’d set fire to the Library in Alexandria and he had proof, or that she’d peed in his coffee. Either one would be unforgivable, but she’d done no such thing. She’d only flirted with him and listened to him talk and drank his sugary Venus Nipples.

 

Bast, what a _stupid_ name for a drink!

 

“Charles, I’m sorry if you got the impression that I actually liked you,” she said, and the reaction on his face was so worth how irritated he was making her. “But you would have to be daft to not notice that I was literally just being nice to you. You’re boring. Now move.”

 

Stunned, he didn’t move but she was able to slip past him and back into the crowd, stepping over blood and glass and the dumbass who’d pushed Loki out the way toward the back. She didn’t see him anymore, but she could feel him for some reason. It was almost as if since she’d let him touch her, he was connected by a thin thread and all she had to do was follow it.

 

But then she felt a tap on her shoulder and it was another of her suitors, this one angrier than the other, who tugged hard at her arm and made her cry out.

 

“What do you think you’re doing, you jackass!” she screamed, prompting the people beside her to turn to see what the ruckus was. “Let me go!”

 

“Not until I get my kiss, sweetheart!” he said, and she could smell the alcohol on his breath. Shuri rolled her eyes and stomped on his leather patent shoe, hard as she could, aiming for the pinky toe. She struck gold and slung him off her, though she noticed Charles barreling down toward them as she stepped aside.

 

“Hey man, the fuck is your problem? Leave her alone!”

 

And then there was a punch, though Shuri couldn’t tell who had punched whom, and then someone else jumped in to get in a hit, and another until a ball of bodies were fighting on the dance floor as music played and people watched in scared amusement.

 

Shuri shook her head and almost laughed, but she’d finally found who she was looking for; Loki stood in the back corner still staring like he had a bone to pick with someone, color in his pale cheeks.

 

“Oy. Calm down, big boy. The goofball won’t bother you again.”

 

“That wasn’t the issue,” he purred, his eyes still dangerous in the dark, his body tense. But he sounded so delicious like this, a little grit in that usually velvet voice. “It’s the principle of the matter.”

 

“I see.”

 

“I knew you would.” He sighed and made an effort to relax, but it wasn’t until she slid her hands up his chest and touched his jaw did he really seem to. She liked that she had that kind of effect on him. It was almost as heady as seduction.

 

“Do you want to go? We can walk around for a bit and catch some air.”

 

He thought it over and then nodded, lowering his head to kiss her brow. “That would be wonderful. I’m quite tired of the party by now. And besides, we’ve came and accomplished what we set out to do.”

 

She smiled. “Which is?”

 

“Teach you how to make men fall at your feet,” he said with a grin, and then he nodded over to the crowd on the floor. They were still fighting. She giggled. “And apparently, you’ve managed to start a fight, too, so there’s extra points.”

 

“I’m a good student, aren’t I?”

 

“The best, sweet girl. The best.” He grasped her hands in his and led her around the dance floor, passing beside the bar and the girls who were watching the fight with interest.

 

“Are you guys leaving?” Melissa asked, and they both nodded.

 

“It was a pleasure, ladies,” Loki said. “Will you all get home safely?”

 

Anna nodded, wrapping an arm around Deleigh. She seemed to be on cloud nine. Shuri could only guess that she’d somehow gotten the DJ’s phone number. And probably a date too, from the looks of it. “Yeah, we’re gonna head on home in a bit. Don’t be a stranger, okay? Next time you guys are in the city, come over and hang out!”

 

Shuri got all their numbers and social media, promised to pass them on to Loki, and hugged them all goodbye. She turned once more before joining Loki at the door to look at the carnage on the dance floor. There were security guards all over the place, bruised up and black eyed guys being hauled out of the area, and a still lingering crowd of folks laughing and pointing at the foolishness. Shuri chuckled to herself, turned back around, and grasped Loki’s waiting hand, following him out onto the street and into the night.

 

* * *

 

They walked around the city for another hour, hand in hand, and Shuri almost didn’t want the night to end. But it was nearly one a.m. and she needed to head back to the hotel before Bucky got back that morning or she’d be in a world of trouble. Even so, when they got to the lobby doors, she hesitated.

 

“What is it, darling?” he asked, fingers stroking her knuckles and she sighed.

 

“I don’t really want to go back yet.”

 

She looked up to the dark sky and then to Loki’s curious eyes and fought against what she knew would be best and what she really wanted to do. She wanted to go home with him. She wanted to spend the night in his bed, in his room, in his arms. It would probably only be that once, she knew, but it would be enough.

 

“What do you want to do, then?” he asked her, though he had a feeling he already knew. She parted her lips and lifted her hand to his cheek, cradling it gently and he closed his eyes, a little sigh slipping forth in satisfaction. He treated her as if her every touch and every look meant so much to him. It was such a lovely feeling.

 

“Show me your penthouse,” she said, and he grinned. “I want to see what you’ve done with the place so far.”

 

So they took off back the other way to where Loki and Brunhilde had their New York City residence, on the Upper East Side at an elegant building in a quiet part of the neighborhood. Loki nodded to the doorman and led her inside to a luxurious foyer, and then up three stories to where his penthouse was.

 

“The other floors above us are currently unoccupied,” Loki told her in the elevator, “if you happen to be looking for something a bit more steady in the city.”

 

“Are you inviting me to come live in the same building with you?”

 

“Perhaps. If you want. Do you think your brother would mind?”

 

Shuri shrugged. “I can’t imagine why he would. It’s better than shelling out money at the Park Hyatt every time. And it’s gorgeous here. I think he’d be alright with it.”

 

“Then I’ll give you the agent’s contact information. She’s actively looking to sell more spots in this building.”

 

“You haven’t convinced your brother to move in with you guys?”

 

Loki made a face. “He is blissfully too busy in Norway most days to really frequent New York the way I can, so no. On the occasion he does come to visit, he and Sif like to convene at Stark’s headquarters. It’s no matter to me,” he said, though Shuri got the feeling he was a little bit offended by it at least. “Simply means I get a lot more alone time with my Hilde.” His wink made her laugh and she skipped out of the elevator behind him, tapping playfully on his shoulder as he opened the door to a large suite that were the actual living quarters.

 

“Wow.” She took in the marble flooring, the large ceilings, and the stunning view of the park from the living area. Loki grinned proudly.

 

“It’s not your palace in Wakanda, no, but it’s quite beautiful, isn’t it?”

 

She nodded and wandered around as Loki took off his jacket and set his keys on the little end table beside the door. A fireplace sat on the far right wall along with a record player and a plush white rug. Dark hardwood floors stretched from one end of the room to the other, and extended into the next one, which she discovered was the kitchen.

 

“Do make yourself at home, darling. If you’re hungry, there’s plenty of food in the refrigerator.”

 

She opened the double door stainless steel fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, then eyed the wine that lined the top two shelves.

 

“Loki?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Mind if we pop open a bottle of this Merlot?”

 

He peeped his head around the doorway and looked to see what she was talking about. “Oh, certainly, if you’d like. But none of that. It’s Hilde’s.”

 

“Oh.” She put the bottle back and settled for her water in the meantime. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to-”

 

“Oh heavens, no. She wouldn’t mind at all, honestly. It’s just that her stuff is significantly stronger than anything you’d be able to handle.”

 

Shuri narrowed her eyes at him and snorted. “How do you know what I can handle?” she asked, not at all intending for any innuendo to slip out but somehow, it did. And he caught it, right and center, a smirk curling around his lips.

 

“I don’t.” He walked over to where she leaned against the island and stopped just short of touching her. “Not yet. But trust me. I’ve gotten drunk off of that stuff and woke up wanting to die, so I wouldn’t take any chances with it.”

 

“Mmhm.”

 

“Go on, then. Take a sip and knock yourself out, but I’m not taking you home so drunk you can’t function. A little tipsy, perhaps. In which case, you’re welcome to drink as much as my wine as you want.”

 

He opened the fridge once more and gestured to the bottles on the second row. Shuri hadn’t been paying that much attention, and didn’t notice that the labels were different. Loki dug around in the drawer close to the sink and found a bottle opener, then proceeded to pop the cork and grab two large glasses, and poured her a generous amount.

 

“Here. I think you’ll like mine a bit better. It’s sweet.”

 

“Hilde doesn’t like sweet stuff?”

 

“She hasn’t got much of a sweet tooth. Not the way I do. I could live off sugar, truly, I could.” He drank a bit of his wine and hummed in appreciation. “Good stuff. Go ahead, give it a try. I’m going to put a little music on.”

 

The wine was sweet, absolutely delicious, and easy to get carried away on so she tried hard to pace herself. She sipped it daintily and swayed a bit when slow music came through the surround system throughout the penthouse. She wanted to get out of these shoes and this dress and put on something a lot more comfortable, like one of her over sized tees she slept in or a little pair of shorts and a tank. But she didn’t figure Loki had anything she could change into, until he called for her to join him in his room.

 

It took a moment for her to find him, lost in the humongous apartment, but the light at the end of the long hall took her right to the master bedroom, a suite bigger than the one she was sleeping in at the Park Hyatt. The bed was messy, the floor littered with dresses and pants and heels and boots. She placed her glass of wine on a nearby table, stepped over the mess, and met Loki in the middle of the room as he tried to organize the closets and dresser drawer.

 

“Hilde’s mess?”

 

He laughed, the laugh of someone who had learned to live with and even somehow be endeared by the mess they were in. “She doesn’t seem to have a grasp on organization at all. No matter how often I entreat her to keep the damn floors clutter free, she finds a way to get them messy.”

 

  
Shuri picked up a few items of clothes and handed them to him, and he thanked her sweetly.

 

“You don’t have to do that, you know. You’re my guest, darling. Have a seat...well. Not on the bed I don’t guess.”

 

“I can make the bed if you want.”

 

He shrugged. “No need. I’m just going to crawl right back into it once you leave.”

 

That made her pause her tidying and she watched him for a long while as he kept rambling about his wife’s messiness. Maybe she’d misread him the whole time and he didn’t want her to spend the night. Maybe all that supposed chemistry at the club was a figment of her overactive and sexually frustrated imagination.

 

He noticed her standing still and looking lost, and so he came over and took Hilde’s clothes from her hands, depositing them in a basket near the giant walk in closet. “Shuri. Darling, what’s wrong? Do you want to go back to your hotel?”

 

She shook her head, frowned and looked up at him. “No. That’s...kind of the problem. You said...you said when I go home and I kind of assumed…” She shook her head and walked back over to the table where she’d left her glass of wine. “It’s okay, I’m silly. I really did enjoy our night out, though. It was fantastic and you don’t have to worry about me getting home. I’ll call an uber and I’ve got this really thick pepper spray that’ll-”

 

“Shuri.”

 

His voice was only marginally louder than it had been but there was an authority to it that made her shut up and quick.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Darling, you aren’t listening to me.”

 

“I...what did you say?”

 

“I was saying,” he continued, grabbing her hand and pulling her back toward the bed, “that I wanted you to stay. If I crawl into that bed tonight, I’d very much like for you to join me.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Yes. Oh. We don’t have to do anything, of course. Just talk. But I’d like you to stay the night. It’s late and I don’t want you traveling alone.”

 

She sucked in a breath, and realized he was giving her an out if she felt uncomfortable about sleeping over. But it seemed that’s all he really wanted, a sleepover. She decided she’d take that. It was better than sleeping in her empty hotel bed by herself. At least, she thought, she could get up in the morning and pretend she’d had more than a chit chat in the early morning.

 

“Okay. That’s cool. We can, you know... we can do whatever.” She took a sip of her wine to cover up how her disappointed she really was and he smiled. “But look, do you happen to have anything I can wear to sleep? I’d really like to get out these clothes.”

 

* * *

 

Wrapped up in one of Loki’s soft henley shirts and sporting some of his long socks, she sat on the bed with her legs swinging and swayed as she sat to the music that played. She wasn’t familiar with whatever it was he was playing, but she liked the beat and the vibe of it. It was warm, smoky, sultry, and made her feel like warm honey. There was also the buzz she had from the wine, which, when he noticed, Loki took from her and sat on the other side of the room. But mostly, it was the music. And the sheets. And Loki with his shirt half unbuttoned and his pants half undone and no socks on. He was relaxed and his hair hung across his face as he sat in the chair adjacent to the bed.

 

“So about my lessons.”

 

“Mmhm.”

 

“What else do you plan to teach me?”

 

Loki tilted his head in thought and took a moment to regard her before responding. “Truth be told, I’m not sure if I need to teach you anything else.”

 

“Why? Did I do that well at the club?” She grinned when he nodded proudly.

 

“Like I said before, you exceeded my expectations. And they were already quite high.” He leaned forward in the seat and steepled his fingers, his gaze on her intense and made her feel naked. She liked it more than she could really articulate. “You know, I’d not be surprised to find that you’re a regular sex kitten back home.” He chuckled and finished off the wine he’d been drinking, little droplets clinging to his lips. “This was all just a way of getting out of that hotel, wasn’t it?”

 

Shuri shook her head and bit her lip. “Nope. I really don’t do things like tonight at home. I mean, I go out with friends. My cousins. Every once in a blue moon I can convince Bucky to come dancing with us, but he never actually dances.”

 

“Which is a pity,” Loki added and Shuri sighed. “He looks like he’d have a decent amount of rhythm.”

 

“I’m surprised you’re such a good dancer,” she said and he scoffed.

 

“Darling, I’m a prince. I’ve been dancing since I could walk.”

 

“Okay, but that’s not the same thing. The stuff you do in ballrooms and at soirees as a royal is completely different from what we did tonight. You can move. You’ve barely got hips and you can move like that.”

 

He fought back a laugh, she could tell, but she kept needling him because it was so cute to see him turn red like that. And his laugh was phenomenal. It was even better when he had a little wine in him.

 

“I’ll take that as a compliment, my sweet. Since you are so complementary of my dancing, would you care to have another with me? Ours was so nice at the club, but rudely interrupted.”

 

He walked over to the sound system and fiddled with the music player for a moment, scrolling around for something to dance to. “What are you in the mood for?”

 

“Nothing fast,” she said, already doing a little cha-cha across the slick floor of his bedroom. “Well, maybe not too fast. I don’t mind a little bit of a bop to whatever.”

 

“Any requests?”

 

She couldn’t quite think of anything at the moment, but she sidled up to him at the sound system anyway and took a glance at what he had on the music player. One song caught her eye and she pointed to it, sliding back as he pressed play.

 

“I’m surprised you’d even have this on a mix,” she said, her shoulders shimmying as she started to sway to the song.

 

“You’d be surprised at a lot about me,” he said, watching as at first, she danced alone. He seemed reluctant now to dance along with her, but it wasn’t dark like it’d been in the club and he was the sole focus of her attention.

 

“Come on Loki, dance!” She laughed and spun around, mouthing the words to the song and closing her eyes, her hands coming up above her head as her hips wound around in slow, sultry circles. She couldn’t see his eyes on her, but she could feel them and that was almost as good, enough to make her blood spike and her body warm all over. All she could think of was the way he’d felt behind her at the club, of how good it was to be caged in his arms, flesh to flesh. She wanted it again and she wanted it badly.

 

Opening her eyes she reached out to him once more and this time he accepted, letting her drag him across the room as they danced. She broke away to jump up into the bed and gave him a little bit of a show, teasing him with flashes of skin, laughing when he jumped in bed with her and drew her close.

 

And then, before she knew what she was doing, she kissed him.

 

She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she’d kissed him and not the other way around because she caught him a bit off guard, his mouth still against hers at first. But he molded into the kiss, growled in his throat and kissed her back, his mouth opening to slip his tongue in her mouth. She got a taste of wine from him, something else that reminded her of mint and the unique cold of his body mixed with the almost scorching heat of hers. He chased her mouth with his when she pulled back to draw in a breath, kissed her again and nibbled on her lips, the sharp edges of his teeth drawing little hitching whimpers out of her.

 

When he finally pulled back for sure, his face was flushed red and his eyes were wide.

 

“Shuri...darling, I-”

 

  
“Please don’t tell me you’re sorry,” she begged him. She’d wanted that. She’d wanted that so bad she had tasted it before actually getting a chance to actually try it.

 

“I’m not.” He laughed then, strained and raspy. “God knows I’m not sorry. I just...I don’t want you to think that’s all I wanted you here for. It’s not.”

 

“I know. But that’s what I want.” She reached up to touch his face and he seemed to melt into her hands, his eyes slipping closed for a second. “It’s not all I wanted. But it’s definitely something I’ve been thinking of for most of the last few hours.”

 

“Are you certain? I didn’t take you out to ravish you.”

 

She groaned. “Bast, Loki, listen! I’m telling you that’s what I want you to do! I want you to…” She broke off and pressed her body close to his, nuzzled his nose and brushed her thumb across his reddened lower lip. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it would jump out her chest, and she wondered if he could feel it this close to her. “Tell me something,” she said, switching gears.

 

“Anything,” he told her and she licked her kiss bitten lips.

 

“Back at the restaurant...you said...you never finished what you were going to say about me.”

 

“About what?” He looked as drunk as she felt, though she knew it would take more wine than what either of them had to really be drunk. “What do you mean?”

 

She swallowed, her skin overheated just from dancing with him like this. “You told me not to doubt myself.”

 

“Mmmm...yes. I recall.”

 

“And…” she sighed against his throat as she leaned into him, still swaying in the bed. “You said that I were beautiful. Not to doubt that you wanted me-”

 

“Norns yes, I did. Because it’s true.” He pulled back enough that he could really look her in the eye and his hands shook as he cupped her face. “I meant that.”

 

“But you never told me what else. You said, ‘I find you remarkably beautiful’ and then you stopped and the waitress came and-”

 

“I remember.” He licked his lips and tilted her head and brushed his thumb along her jawline. His touch was both gentle and desperate and she felt so electric, so absolutely rapturous. He’d only just kissed her. That was it, a kiss and she was molten gold in his hands. “I meant to say that I found you beautiful and _intoxicating_ and incredibly irresistible.”

 

“Oh,” she breathed, because that sounded so delicious coming from him. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was aware of the song going off, but didn’t give it much thought.

 

“And I mean that. And truthfully, I must say that that last part is most decidedly true right now.” He drew her closer to him still and pushed his hips into hers and she gasped at what he meant by that. He was hard as steel and the current in his body was practically fighting to surge out of him. _So this what having a man turned on for you was like_ , she thought, and she couldn’t help but grin.

 

“Good. Since I’m so irresistible,” she responded, before she could even think about what she was saying, “stop worrying about what you planned to do _with_ me tonight, and do what you want _to_ me tonight.” Loki laughed, a trembling one, the kind someone gave when they were losing all sense of control.

 

“You realize this isn’t at all how I anticipated the end of this night.”

 

She raised a brow, a bit disbelieving. “You’re kidding me.” He at least had to have thought about it.

 

“Not at all, though I won’t deny I didn’t want it. But I only meant to show you how powerful you are, not fall under your spell.” He laughed again and shook his head, his body still pressed into hers and she noted that his erection hadn’t diminished even a bit. “I seem to have a habit of falling head over heels for beautiful, smart women. That’s my weakness then. Women with spirit and spunk and skin like velvet. Gods, you are so beautiful.” He slipped his fingers along her throat and down to her bare shoulders and she whimpered a little when he ground his hips into her pelvis again. “Can you feel that, sweet girl?” When she moaned out a yes, he leaned down and kissed her neck, open mouthed and wet, the coolness of his mouth a sharp contrast with how hot she felt. “And this isn’t...this _wasn’t_ supposed to be my payment. I only wanted a kiss, that’s all I was going to ask from you-”

 

“Is that all you want now?” she breathed, though she damn well knew the answer to that question.

 

“Fuck no.” He growled, leaned down a bit and let his mouth wander along her collarbone. She tilted her head back and enjoyed the pleasure of it all. “No, no, I want _more_. I want whatever you wish for me to have.”

 

“Me, Loki, all of me,” she said, a little desperate herself now, because she’d wanted this since the second she saw him in that lobby and probably before, after hearing him greet her on the phone. Fuck. He was so close to pulling one of her breasts free and sucking on it and she was going to let him do that and more because she wanted it, because she craved it.

 

Whatever guilt she’d felt about kissing him disappeared when he dropped to his knees on the bed and pulled her with him and kissed her again, this time on the mouth. She rocked in his lap, legs on either side of his slim waist and got lost in the taste of him, the pressure of his lips on hers, the slide of his fingers across her shoulders and back and then to the shirt to tug it down.

 

“Tell me now,” he pant out, his eyes dark with want and his body taut with anticipation. “Tell me if you want me to stop now, because if we go any further I can’t.” He waited for her with bated breath and she shook her head and for a second, when he misread her, she thought she saw sad resignation in his face.

 

“I won’t tell you,” she clarified. “I want this. I want you.” She grabbed one of the hands on her waist and pulled it around to her legs, the hem of his shirt hitched up in their passions. She slid it beneath the hemline and to the little cotton panties she wore and then inside them, until three of his long, slim fingers brushed across the wetness between her aching swollen lower lips. And his eyes widened a little, especially when she bit her lip and tossed her head back, her braids moving out the way of her face. “Can’t you tell now? If you don’t remedy this ache, I’m going to pummel you.”

 

His grin at that absolutely had her drenching his fingers and he slid them down a ways until he could press them close to her entrance. “I wouldn’t want that. Another weakness of mine, it seems. Women who find pummeling me erotic.” One long finger pressed ever so gently at her entrance and when she whimpered out his name, slipped easily inside. Shuri nearly smacked him in the head out of reflex, but he dodged her without issue. “My goodness, darling, you _are_ wet. And for me?”

 

He moaned deep in his chest, withdrew his hand, and sucked that finger into his mouth, groaning at the taste of her. If Shuri thought she was ready to ravish him before, she most definitely was ready to do so now.

 

“Loki, please. If you’re going to do this, hurry it up?”

 

He shook his head and grabbed both her thighs, pulling her closer to him and making her squeal. “No rush. We’ve got the rest of the night. Besides, I want to take my time with you. You’ll never want to leave this bed when I’m done.”

 

“Big words,” she breathed out, though she knew she’d probably be eating them later. “Let’s see if you can back them up, shall we?”

 

He grinned and peeled her underwear down her slim legs, his mouth marking a trail from her ankles up to her knees and then further, until she was wiggling her hips, desperate for him to taste her. He seemed to kiss and lick everywhere but where she wanted, and in her frustration, she grabbed hold of his head, her fingernails digging into his scalp a little more brutal than she intended, but instead of wincing in pain, he moaned. She stilled for a moment and met his eyes and he breathed out a cool breath across her aching core.

 

“You like that?”

 

“ _Gods yes_. Do it again.”

 

So she did. And when his hips started to push into the mattress, he batted her hands away, pinned them to her sides, and finally licked a long stripe up the center of her.

 

She screamed.

 

She hadn’t really intended to yell so loud and for a moment she was mortified, but his eyes were dilated with absolute delight and he licked her again, a little harder, so that she squealed out something like his name. And he kept going, sucking her completely into his mouth and using the tip of his tongue-cool and wet and rough and exquisite-to stroke her clit as his teeth scraped ever so gently at her lower lips.

 

And then it was a back and forth of his tongue and his lips and his teeth on every bit of her he could fit into his mouth. He slid his tongue inside her and she arched clean off the bed, her fingers digging into the soft sheets. She pulled the shirt up a little so she could clearly see his eyes as he tongue fucked her, his fingers joining his mouth and she was rocking her hips into his face before she could stop herself. But he encouraged her on, pulling her hip closer to him with his free hand and sliding another finger inside her to join the first, curling them up as her pants increased and her moans got sharper and then, she felt something wind up and curl inside her to the point she thought she’d burst. If he’d just keep going, if he would just not stop... _fuck._

 

He didn’t stop. And she came, hard enough that her body tensed and clenched up and shook as he fingered her clear through her orgasm.

 

“Oh yes...oh my god, I-”

 

“Norns alive, you taste _divine_. Can I do that again?”

 

Shuri struggled to catch her breath, her body alight, her skin feeling ever so sensitive. But the look in his eye was wild and she could feel the potential for another orgasm right after this one. She grasped him by his long, black hair and drug his head back down for him to feast again.


	3. Pleasure 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is filthy but a lot of fun. Definitely not for the cinnamon roll crowd. Enjoy!

By the time Loki slid up her body, he’d made her cum with his mouth enough times that she felt like a live wire.

 

She watched him with hooded eyes, her breathless little whimpers making him grin as the remnants of that last orgasm still thrummed through her. And though she could very well walk away from this completely giddy with what he’d done so far, she knew he wasn’t done, not by a long shot. He was half naked and she was completely nude and he stared at her like she was water in the desert. She wanted him to devour her, and she wanted it badly.

 

“Gods, you sound so lovely when you’re cumming,” he said, slipping his hands up her smooth shins and knees until they cradled her trembling thighs. “I could listen to that sound forever.”

 

Shuri grinned in spite of how her belly flip flopped, and her insides felt like molten gold as he watched her hungrily.

 

“Think you could make me do that again?” she challenged, and he chuckled that dark, deep laugh of his, scooting up more until he was in between the valley of her hips.

 

“That,” he quipped, licking his lips and dipping his head to kiss her neck, “and more.”

 

He was surprisingly heavy to be as slender as he was but then again, Shuri hadn’t expected him to look like _that_ when he took his shirt off, either. He wasn’t overly muscular, but the ones he had rippled beneath his pale skin deliciously, telling of a strength that probably caught most by surprise. It most definitely had caught her by surprise, as he’d gripped her waist and held her down while his mouth did the most amazing things to her.

 

She could only imagine what the rest of him was going to do.

 

Suddenly very anxious to find out, she tugged down on his shoulders, cupping his face in her hands and the look in his eyes send a thrill running down her spine. He looked at her like she was the most magnificent thing in the world or as if she were all he’d ever wanted. And though he was very much married and very much in love with his wife, for a moment, she could believe that she _was_ all he’d ever wanted. It was a wonderful feeling and a bit intoxicating. Shuri was almost afraid she’d be addicted to how he felt pressed against her flesh, the weight of his body, or the coolness of his surprisingly soft skin. He was a strange but wonderful mix of the masculine and the feminine. She craved all of him.

 

“Are you sure about this, sweetheart?” he asked, his voice soft and soothing. She appreciated him giving her a chance to back out. It was one thing to let someone orally pleasure you, she thought, but quite another to go all the way. And though she’d gone all the way with couple of guys before, she hadn’t been presented with the opportunity to have sex with someone so…sensual.

 

That’s what was ticking all her boxes, besides the fact that he was incredibly handsome and ridiculously charming and really, really good with his tongue. He was sensual, in nearly every aspect of his person. It oozed out of him naturally like the sweat that coated her brow. And she found him almost irresistible because of it.

 

But back to the matter at hand.

 

Shuri sucked in a sharp breath, cognizant of the flush that spread across his chest and how her skin felt like a furnace. She thought of the ache between her thighs, that though he’d brought her to completion several times, she was still hungry for him. And she nodded, smiling as she thought she saw relief in his eyes. Loki might be a war criminal but she knew he wouldn’t take what wasn’t offered. And though he wouldn’t press her to do something she didn’t want, he really had been hoping she’d consent, too.

 

“I do,” she confirmed, verbally so there isn’t any misunderstanding. “I want this. I want _you_. Please, Loki, I—”

 

“Alright,” he said with a grasp of her hips and then he wrapped his arms around her little waist, holding her ever closer. “Whatever my darling wants.”

 

When he kissed her this time, the heat behind it could ignite a wildfire. She drowned in the push and pull of his mouth, of the soft, chilling breath that left his lips and how his teeth, sharp as daggers, scraped across her chin and throat as his head moved lower. Shuri tugged at the waistband of his pants, unzipped and nearly down his hips. But he wasn’t naked and that’s what she wanted above anything else at the moment. She slipped her hands inside his underwear against his bare skin and he shuddered, lifting his body just a bit so she could drag his pants down. His boxers caught, taking care of both items of clothing at once, and then, he was flinging them down his legs and off his body over onto the floor where the rest of their clothes were along with half the sheets.

 

And it was then she got her first actual glance at his cock and her mouth dropped.

 

Was that even going to fit?!

 

He crawled over her once more and kissed her again, pulling her hips down to meet him and sliding his fingers into the heat of her.

 

“Oh, yes, you are so very wet for me. Tell me again; do you want this?”

 

She swallowed and darted her eyes down between their bodies and tried not to shiver. “Oh, yes. I do, but..is _that_ going to be a problem getting in?” she asked and he chuckled, though the sound of it was tinged with shaking need.

 

“Not at all. You can take me, sweet girl, I promise. You’re so ready.”

 

She nodded then, holding on to him to ready herself for the first push. But he hesitated and caught her eye.

 

“Are you um…protected against any possible pregnancies?”

 

“Oh! Yes, I’ve got an implant. Just got it redone too, so it’s good to go.”

 

“Oh good. I was going to say…I’ve got a few spells I can do that’ll take care of anything. Would you like one just to be sure?”

 

When she gave him the go ahead, he pressed a palm to her belly, pushing gently and murmured something in a language she didn’t recognize. Warmth spread through her womb and a tightness followed, though it disappeared just as soon as it came. He followed this by repeating a similar gesture on himself, sliding his fingers through the dark, thick hair surrounding his manhood and cupping his testicles. She couldn’t make out the phrasing but it sounded similar.

 

“All done.”

 

With that he gave her another kiss, this one slower and sweeter, her breath rushing out in harried pants as he settled between her thighs. With his urging, she lifted her legs higher and he pushed her hips downward a bit, until her back arched from the bed and her ass rested on his thighs. Carefully, he rubbed the head of his cock against her clit and elicited a wanting gasp, her body clenching in anticipation.

 

“Loki,” she breathed out, just as he lined up the head of him with her entrance and began to push forward, slowly, although the going forward wasn’t nearly as difficult as she’d imagined.

 

She really was very wet. It made the penetration so much easier, though with his girth and her relative inexperience, there was still a stretching that made her body tense like a bowstring. And yet, at the same time, it was rather pleasurable. Shuri held her breath as he pushed forward, deeper and deeper until she felt him seated as far as he could go inside her, the head of his cock brushing the neck of her womb. He was so thick and she felt so full, and when she wiggled her hips a bit, that little twinge from the stretching mingled with the brush of his pubic bone against her clitoris, making her cry out.

 

“Have I hurt you?” he asked, panting against her neck and she shook her head, digging her nails into his scalp.

 

“Oh no…no no no, this is…please,” she groaned out, “move. Loki, move, please, I need…”

 

He moved and the world moved with him.

 

This was nothing at all like the boys she’d slept with. There had been no finesse in their movements, no skill or dedication to her pleasure. Loki did everything possible to make her feel good and stimulated, not just in her body but her mind as well. His words were filthy, erotic beyond what she’d ever heard, and stroked her ego as he praised the taste of her skin and the smell of her and the way she felt around him.

 

“You feel so fucking good,” he said, his voice shaking as he moved his hips in deep and slow. When she whimpered against his collarbone, he pulled back to watch her, arms caging her in and hair falling in a curtain across his face but the feeling of him completely surrounding her made her feel safe. “You are so fucking beautiful, my girl. Good god, I could fuck you forever.”

 

“Would you?” she moaned out, aching to move with him. “Would you fuck me forever?” She lifted her hips and tried to match his rhythm, so he slowed to give her time to figure it out. “Oh…yes, that’s it, that’s…fuck!”

 

“I would,” he panted. “I would give you anything you wanted, I swear it.” He growled out her name and bent to kiss her again, his mouth trailing from her lips to her chin and throat. There, he sucked marks into her flesh before he moved lower, until he had her breast against his cheek as he nuzzled the mound. All the while, his hips moved up and back, in and out, over and over at a steady pace. Shuri dragged her fingers down his shoulders and to the small of his back, pushing a little to urge him to go faster.

 

“Loki,” she moaned. “Harder, please. Please, I want more.”

 

He pushed in deeper then, and harder, and it made a slick, wet sound that she found herself aching to hear. She glanced down between their bodies and watched as he moved inside her, spread her legs higher and wider and let him bend them back toward her chest so that he nudged against something inside her that made her shout.

 

“Yes!” he gasped, “it feels incredible, doesn’t it?”

 

“Loki!” She groaned deeply and dug her nails into his flesh, pushing her hips against him harder because something was coming and she wanted so very badly to feel it. “I think I’m gonna cum. Loki, I’m gonna-“

 

“I’ve got you, darling. Go head... _cum_. Cum for me.”

 

Loki kept his eye on her all the while, even as he bent his head to suck a dark nipple into his mouth and lave it with his tongue, then nibble it just shy of hurting with his teeth. His fingers dug into her sweaty skin and he watched her intently as she began to tumble off the precipice, sound condensing into just the sounds of him sucking at her breast and the wetness of their joining and the creak of the bed beneath them.

 

And then, it was if she could hear nothing because she was coming and it was the most incredible thing she’d ever felt before.

 

She’d had orgasms before, plenty, but there was nothing at all like this, hot and fast and heavy. Her whole body pulsed and her cry of pleasure tore from her throat sharp and almost painfully. She tensed and arched and clung to him tight until the waves were too much and she almost begged him to stop moving. It felt endless. It was incredible and beautiful and he pushed her through it mercilessly.

 

When she sank back into the bed, eyes opened toward the ceiling and her hands shaking across his back, she felt him still moving inside her, though the intensity of it was a bit subdued. He was close too, she could tell, so she kept her hips moving and kissed his chest and his throat, murmured his name over and over and listened greedily as he rambled about nothing, his hips moving out of rhythm and aching for release.

 

“I’m going to cum, sweet girl,” he grit out, a cry following his heated declaration. “I’m going to fill your pretty little cunny with all of me and mark you as mine because you are. For tonight, you’re mine.”

 

She smiled against his skin and pulled his hair until she knew it would sting and that is what sent him spiraling, a shout and a roar from his chest as he did exactly what he said. He filled her till she thought she’d burst and the sensation of it was both strange and incredible. She liked it, and she felt her body buzzing a little as every drop was milked out of him.

* * *

 

 

He was still breathless when she finally felt the last of the aftershocks fade away, his chest heaving up and down as he lay back and stared blissfully at the ceiling. At least, she thought that was blissful. He looked a wreck, sweaty skin gleaming like a pearl and his hair this way and that. And somehow, she found him so incredibly beautiful like so. He looked one of those old European Renaissance paintings, like some sort of wicked angel come to life.

 

Shuri could be awfully poetic after a good orgasm. She snuggled down into the sweaty sheets and giggled a bit.

 

“And what, pray tell, are you laughing about?” he panted out, which only served to make her laugh harder.

 

“Nothing at all,” she said, reaching out to tug at a piece of his wayward hair. She was still stunned at how remarkably soft it was, silk through her fingers and cool to the touch. “I just find it a little amusing that such an expert as yourself is so…out of sorts.” She bit her lip and rolled over a bit to face him and he did likewise, a sigh leaving his chest when he pulled her close to him. The sweat on his chest would have made her recoil if it were anyone else, but for whatever reason, there was something sexy and erotic about sharing his sweat like that.

 

“Ah, but it’s been such a long time since I’ve had someone as remarkable as you take me to bed,” he said, and he pressed the softest little kiss to her brow.

 

“How long?”

 

“The other night,” he responded with a grin and Shuri’s laugh shook her whole body.

 

“So really, what you’re saying is that you routinely get out of sorts and out of breath during sex. Am I right?”

 

He hummed something that sounded like an agreement. Or, it could have been a noncommittal, but his face was nothing but mischief and his eyes twinkled like emeralds in the dim light. “Routinely? I suppose so, yes. I’ve been wed two years this April; in the span of time that I’ve had the absolute privilege of being so, I’ve had to catch my breath an inordinate amount of times.”

 

“She’s that good, huh?”

 

“She’s phenomenal.” He paused and tilted his head, as if he’s trying to read her. Or, she thought, as if he _had_ read her and wanted to give her his synopsis of what he’d read. “You wouldn’t be interested in…you know.”

 

Shuri thought she might have blushed, if only because of how warm her face felt. She did her best to shrug while wrapped in his arms, and she could feel him chuckle against her skin.

 

“I don’t…I have no idea? I’m not…”

 

“Mmhm.”

 

“What?” She shook her head, though she could feel her belly flutter a little at his question. “That’s the second time anyone’s asked me if I’d be interested in women in the last few days, and I’m wondering if maybe you know something I don’t.”

 

Loki snorted out a laugh. “Who asked you that? It’s got to be someone who tends to desire either sex.”

 

Shuri ducked her head. “Bucky asked me that. He asked if I liked girls when he-“

 

She bit that part of the conversation off because she really didn’t know if it was okay to talk about Bucky sleeping with Loki’s wife while she was in bed with Loki and had just had the best orgasm of her existence. But she realized she was already in the strangest, weirdest situation she’d ever been so she went ahead and plowed forward.

 

“He uh, was telling me a bit about the parties.”

 

“And he mentioned my Hilde?”

 

She nodded. To her surprise, or maybe not, Loki grinned. It was almost proud.

 

“He’s…what’s the word MJ likes to use?”

 

“MJ? Peter’s girlfriend?”

 

“The very one. She’s a fun one, that child. Keeps the mischief going when Parker wants to sit around and play video games with that friend of his. But yes, she calls it…sprung.”

 

Shuri flopped over into the bed and covered her eyes with her arm, her breath coming out in a rush of laughter. “Sprung? Bucky’s sprung on Hilde?” And then she sobered because that may or may not be a good thing for her. Loki picked up the subtle change in her mood, probably due to how her body shifted, and clucked his tongue, almost soothingly.

 

“Not to worry, sweet girl. They both know it’s just a bit of fun.”

 

She turned her head again and peeked at him through her fingers. “How do you…like, how do you not get jealous? I mean, you don’t worry she’ll find someone else and-“

 

Loki sighed, and for a second, she regretted asking him the question. Was he insecure about his marriage and had she brought up a sore spot? But he didn’t seem upset, just introspective. “I do wonder occasionally if she could do better. Truthfully, I’m convinced she could. She seems to think we’re perfectly matched, however, and I trust her judgement more than I trust anything so if she tells me that her heart is mine, then I’ll believe her.”

 

“Is it hard to, though? I mean, do you ever doubt her?”

 

“No. I don’t doubt _her_. I doubt myself.” He smiled, reached out to pull her arm away and stroked the line of her cheekbones gently. It was soothing, intimate, and a little bit warming even though his fingers had begun to cool once again. “I spend nearly everyday giving myself little pep talks so I don’t bother her with my misgivings. And then I remember every bit of evidence of her love for me and dwell on that until I’ve managed to push all those feelings away. And when she goes out, the way she’d done this evening, I know she’ll come home to me and have a fun story to tell and that she’s enjoyed her time with her friends.”

 

“You’re…remarkable,” she gushed and spots of color popped up on his cheeks.

 

“Says the girl…nay, the _woman_ , who managed to knock the breath from my body and wrung pleasure so acute out of me I thought I saw Valhalla.”

 

“You’ve really got to stop that,” she said breathlessly. “You’re going to make me fall in love with you.”

 

He laughed and pulled her close again, pecked kisses along her neck until she giggled and her whole body warmed again. “Is that a promise?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“That I could make you love me?”

 

The way he said it made her pause and pull back, search his face, stare into his eyes. She couldn’t read much from them, a sort of mask over his expression, but there was just the hint of seriousness there and she didn’t know how she felt about it, other than that this was probably something huge to him and she shouldn’t take the question lightly.

 

“Maybe,” she finally gave him, because while she knew she most definitely was attracted, and had a crush, she had no idea if she could love him. She barely knew him.

 

But that meant nothing now. Maybe the time they’d spent together so far had been short in comparison, and maybe he hadn’t told her an awful lot about himself, but…well…she felt like she’d known him forever. He was so familiar now.

 

When he smiled, his entire face brightened. “A maybe will do fine. I’m quite alright with a maybe.” He leaned back into the pillows and stroked his hands up and down the skin of her back, until she found her body moving against his in response. And then he studied her for a moment and tapped on her shoulder to get her attention.

 

“I think,” he began, watching her intently, “that I may have rushed into this whole lovemaking thing.”

 

Shuri blinked. “Huh? What’d you mean?” She really, really hoped he didn’t regret this. She damn sure didn’t. But then his smile spread, slow and sweet and she realized he was talking about the act itself and not the emotions and feelings inevitably involved. There were feelings, she knew, though she would need a few hours to sort those out.

 

“I mean that I should have spent some time preparing to fuck you instead of just doing it.”

 

“Oh. Well…I’m fine. It worked out fine.”

 

“Perhaps. But it would be so nice to show you other things.” He cleared his throat. “If you’re willing of course.”

 

That piqued her curiosity. He’d already devoured her twice and had her soaking wet to the point that even though he was fairly large, it’d been quite an easy fit. But maybe there was much more to it.

 

“I’m willing. What else have you got to teach me, my prince?” she asked, and he pressed a long finger to her lips, groaning a little when she opened her mouth a bit and let the digit slip inside.

 

“You’ve got to stop calling me that,” he said in a rumble, “or this lesson won’t get much further than me betwixt your lovely thighs once again.”

 

“I’m not saying I would mind,” She quipped and he shook his head with a laugh.

 

“Neither would I. But darling, that’s not the point of what I want to show you.”

 

“Ah.”

 

“Yes. Ah. The point is…well…lie back. I can show you much better than I can tell you.”

 

He let her go and pulled the wrinkled sheets away so that she was completely bared to his eye. It was thrilling, and a little bit erotic to be exposed that way, but she liked the way he looked at her, as if she were an actual work of art and not just something to be used. Granted, he also looked at her as if he wanted to feast on her body for hours but that was a good thing. She felt delicious and sexy under his gaze, and it allowed for the confidence to stretch out leisurely in the bed.

 

“I suppose you could consider this a lesson,” he says, as he lays prone beside her naked body. He slides his fingers across her collarbone and to her breast, taking care to avoid her nipples. She found this made them ache a little more than just the sucking and tugging she’d had done during their tryst. That had felt incredible, but there was something to the anticipation of it happening, and then it not happening, that revved her engine. “Foreplay. Teasing. If you’d like, we could get into sensory deprivation and over stimulation, but that’s a lesson for another night.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Hmmm yes. I think,” he continued, leaning down to ghost cool breath over her sternum, “that you’d very much would enjoy both. But for now, lets simply focus on the parts of you that make you tick.”

 

“Okay…like…what?”

 

“Well, we know that nipple play appeals to you greatly.” He trailed a fingernail around her areola and she moaned softly, breathing in deeply as he flicked the tip of her nipple and then circled it slowly. “Biting and sucking is fun. Both for you, my dear, and for your lover, too, if he knows what’s best for him.”

 

That made her laugh a little, even as it tapered off into a little gasp when a spark of pleasure shot to her core. He wasn’t even touching her in that area, and she felt her body responding as if he were sucking on her clit again.

 

“I imagine some men don’t like sucking on nipples,” she said, pushing her chest unconsciously toward his hand.

 

“They’re fucking idiots,” Loki said with a stern glance that made her snort in amusement. He pulled back, and she whined, but he rewarded her with a smile and then a suck to her nipple, taking his time and humming before he pulled back again.

 

“Bast, that feels _so_ good! Like…like, I could probably cum if you just did that.”

 

“They’re quite sensitive, yes. And I’d love to make you cum doing just that. I’ll have to remember to try that soon, hmm?” When she groaned out an ebullient yes, he switched to the other breast and spent time teasing and tasting and exploring that nipple, too. By the time he moved down to continue his lesson, she was squirming and wiggling, hoping he’d take the hint and crawl in between her thighs again.

 

But he focused on her belly this time, using his tongue to drag a wet line from chest to navel and circling that over and over. His hands spread across her torso and then skimmed down and across, his nails catching ever so gently on her skin.

 

“You know what I find interesting?”

 

Shuri panted and let her legs fall open as one hand grasped her hip. “What?”

 

“The skin, on any creature, is the largest organ of the body. And, if one has the right lover, can be the biggest erogenous zone, besides the brain, of course.”

 

“The brain? I…Loki, I want-“

 

“Mmmm yes, the brain. You see, it’s one thing to fuck and cum without much mental stimulation. Anyone can do that, or mostly anyone. But to be completely and utterly seduced mentally before even being touched? Well, that’s the trademark of a good lover.” He moves back up her body and catches her eye as his hands stroke the smooth skin of her legs, over and over. And then, when her whimpers get sharper, he slips one of those fingers between her thighs, finally, and touches her, slow and easy, grinning at how wet she is again already.

 

“You would think I hadn’t fucked you thoroughly enough before, darling,” he purred, leaning down to nip at her ear with sharp, white teeth. Shuri’s breathing stuttered as she arched upward toward him and gripped the pillow behind her head, desperately wishing he’d do anything but simply touch and taste her. When had she become so greedy?

 

“I can’t help it,” she whined, and she tilted her head to kiss his chin. “You felt so good inside me.” His fingers stammered on her clitoris and then slipped down until two fingers dipped inside her and curled up, pressing hard against something that made her shake and cry out. “Oh, fuck me,” she gasped, digging her fingers into the nape of his neck.

 

“Should I? You seem to be enjoying this just fine.” He twisted his fingers before pumping them in and out of her hard and quickly, the heel of his palm hitting her clit just right, and she rocked against him, back and forth as some sort of exquisite pressure built. It was almost terrifying, and she held on to him for dear life.

 

“I love this, I‑oh fuck! Ah!‑I want more, is all, I need more, I…Loki, please I can’t…”

 

But she couldn’t finish what she was saying. He dipped his head down to suck on her neck and brushed his mouth across her ear lobe, chuckling as her thighs fell wider open and she rocked back and forth harder and harder. If he didn’t stop, she’d cum, she knew it, though this was a little more intense than before. And though she still felt the odd frisson of fear in her chest at the inevitable pleasure, she wanted it all the same.

 

But Loki wouldn’t let her cum like that. He pulled his hand back, soaked in her honey, and sucked his fingers dry as her thighs quaked and she fought down a scream. Bast, she was so close, so close!

 

“Tell me what you want to do to me, Shuri,” he commanded. There was no argument in his tone. Either she fess up or she wouldn’t be cumming again anytime soon and she knew it. So she shucked off every remaining vestige of shyness and pushed him backwards until he lay sprawled on the bed. She straddled him and rocked her wet core across his hardness, hissing when the head of his cock caught her clit and dipped into her entrance.

 

“I want to _fuck_ you,” she said bluntly. “I want to ride your thick cock until I’m screaming your name hoarsely. I want…I want to see stars. I want to feel as though I’ve died and been resurrected and died again. Oh god, yes, _let me_ …” She trailed off, boldness making her grasp his cock and then sink down on it with purpose, and the both of them cried out in ecstasy. He was wide eyed and open mouthed at how brazen she was and it sent a thrill through her.

 

It wouldn’t be long. She didn’t quite know what she was doing, only ever having been on top once and that hadn’t been for long. But she figured she could get the gist of it if she just followed what her body wanted and the little cues Loki gave her. She pushed her hands into his broad, pale chest and pulled her hips up and back, then down again, eliciting a groan from her lover that spurred her on.

 

And she rode him harder, faster, moving as though she were built to do this very thing. It was easier to do as the minutes went on. She found she could stave her pleasure off just right if she shifted the angle of her hips and the depth of his penetration. She pinned his wrists above him, and he let her, and he rocked his hips beneath her as well to assist. There was a spiraling, curling flame in the pit of her belly that spread out from the center and threatened to devour her alive.

 

She wanted it to.

 

His mouth was just as filthy as the first time, little sharp gasps punctuating his erotic tirade. He called her every endearment she’d ever heard and some she had never heard, told her how delightfully hot and tight she was, begged her to clench around him again and again and was unabashed at moaning beneath her as if she were the master of his pleasure. Perhaps, in that moment, she was.

 

It was only as her thighs began to burn with the effort to keep riding him did she decide to let herself fall. She leaned forward, so he pressed right against her clit and the spot within her he’d been mercilessly pushing against earlier all the same time. And the fullness of him, the feel of his body rocking and trembling under her thighs, and the look on his face‑one so enraptured, he looked nearly undone.

 

“Are you going to cum for me, sweetheart?” he growled out and she clenched hard around him, tossed her head back, and moaned out a yes that sounded hot even to her own ears. He held her body close to his, his chest pressed against hers, and pushed his hips hard into hers over and over until finally the coil snapped, the pressure exploded and she came, screaming out his name as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. And once again, he roared as he followed her, filling her body as he did.

 

She lay on his chest for a long while until the feeling returned to her legs and enough strength came back into her body that she could roll over. His withdrawal made her moan pitifully at the loss, but there was something lovely about being in her own body again. She snuggled into his side and listened to him breathe, the sound of it soothing her to sleep.

 

“Rest, dear heart,” he told her, his voice gravel and grit, and the last thing she felt before sleep caught her were his cool lips against her temple.

* * *

 

 

She came to with the sound of rustling in the closet and the soft rush of cool breath on her shoulder, and really, it wasn’t a bad way to wake. But her mind and her body were out of step, and for a moment, she had no idea why there was someone breathing on her shoulder and why there was noise in her closet.

 

“Bucky?” she called, groggy, and tried to peel her eyes open. The bed felt so nice, it was hard to want to wake.

 

“I think he went home with Sam Wilson, actually,” she heard a voice say, something lush and beautiful and Shuri blinked her eyes open once, twice, before the settled on the figure of Brunhilde, Princess of Asgard, standing half naked in her closet with a boot in hand and the most amused expression on her face.

 

Shuri’s first reaction was to sink further into the bed and hide because the man she’d slept with was still asleep beside her and his wife was looking at intently. Her second reaction was to cover her chest because she realized her breasts were exposed, that the sheets and comforter Loki had sloppily wrapped them in after that last round had slipped below them and that Brunhilde was staring.

 

If she wasn’t just imagining things, it was an appreciative stare and that made her feel something she wasn’t sure she could feel with another woman. But maybe she could. She licked her lips and tugged the comforter close and moved to sit at the same time that Brunhilde abandoned her undressing and came to sit at the foot of the bed.

 

“Are you hungry, love?” she asked, her face open and warm and Shuri nodded because all that sex had completely worked off the burger she’d eaten hours ago.

 

“Mmmhm. A bit.”

 

“Oh good! I ordered enough French Toast and fruit for five people. There’s a little 24 hour café a few blocks down that serves the most amazing breakfast. They should be delivering soon.”

 

Shuri smiled, and then rubbed her eyes. “What time is it?”

 

“About three. You’re fine, if you’re worried about Barnes getting back to the hotel. I think he’ll be preoccupied a few more hours yet.”

 

She took in that information and tried not to let jealousy spike in her gut but it did anyway. She had absolutely no reason to be jealous; Bucky wasn’t hers (yet) and she’d just spent the entire night with another man. It would be hypocritical to expect Bucky to simply go to Sam’s for movies and conversation, especially from the way she’d seen the two interact. They spent just as much time roasting each other as they did sharing little knowing glances. And really, she wasn’t mad about it. She’d have jumped on Sam Wilson in a heartbeat if she thought he were interested.

 

It was just a little odd thinking about Bucky being with someone else and knowing he was when before, it’d only been guessing and wondering.

 

Hilde seemed to know what she was thinking about. She grasped her foot beneath the comforters and diverted her attention back to the present.

 

“I wouldn’t worry about him, Shuri. He’ll come around.”

 

“I’m guessing Loki told you all about my little predicament?”

 

Hilde gave her a knowing smile. “He did. He wanted a bit of advice on how to approach you in helping. I told him to follow his instincts.”

 

Shuri stretched a bit and Brunhilde moved back to the closet, lifting her tee shirt and slinging it over onto the floor with a soft grunt. Shuri couldn’t help but watch, her eyes catching on the warm, soft brown skin and the muscles that moved beneath, little scars that dotted her torso and shoulders. She was a warrior, Shuri remembered, built like one and lithe as she did something as simple as tug on a pair of baggy pajama pants and a large night shirt. It was mesmerizing in the strangest way, but Hilde didn’t seem to mind the attention. She tugged the shirt over her head and grinned.

 

“I’ve got stories upon stories about those scars if you’re curious.”

 

Shuri pressed her hands to her cheeks and ducked her head. “Um…sure. Should I wake Loki? For breakfast, I mean?”

 

Hilde shook her head and moved to the other side of the bed, where a still snoozing Loki slept like a rock. She smoothed back black hair from his brow and kissed his temple softly, smiling a bit as she nuzzled his face.

 

“Oh gods no, no. Let my Lackey sleep. The poor babe barely gets any.” Hilde’s face softened so much it was like looking at another person and Shuri felt her heart tug. Loki really was a lucky man and he really shouldn’t doubt how much Brunhilde loved him. Shuri could tell that just from that one simple expression. “He has nightmares,” Hilde said in an almost whisper. “Wakes up sometimes in the middle of the night screaming and…well. They’ve gotten better. But he likes to stay up late and read or write or watch television instead of sleep. And I know it’s not because of insomnia.”

 

“I understand that,” she said, feeling another flower of kinship with the prince start to blossom inside her. “I used to have nightmares after my father died that kept me up for days. I hated sleeping.”

 

“What helped?” Hilde asked.

 

“Time.” And that was the simple truth of it. It had taken time for those nightmares to disappear long enough that she could sleep longer than one or two hours a night. Eventually, they only popped up if she overworked herself, or if she was in a particularly awful mood.

 

The older woman hummed, a nod of her head following.

 

“You know, I think I’ve told him that before. He seems convinced that even time can’t cure him of whatever ails him.” Hilde is silent for a moment, a shadow over her face. “Perhaps it can’t, not in entirety. There’s things I’ve seen, things I’ve done that haunt me. And they’d happened even before he’d been born. But I’ll always carry them with me.”

 

Shuri felt she could somewhat understand that. She knew, thought, that in the grand scheme of things, she was still an innocent. She hadn’t been exposed to nearly the amount of grief or trauma as either the prince or princess had. And she was grateful for that, but it made her feel so small. There were two people in bed beside her who had been through some indescribable horrors and still come out mostly whole. Or, at the very least, sutured enough that they could live and thrive.

 

She also thought too of Bucky and the things he’d done and seen during his captivity and slavitude in service to HYDRA. And she shuddered to think of how silly her own little traumas had seemed in comparison.

 

Almost as if she’d read her mind, Hilde nudged her gently and smiled. “Don’t discredit your own experiences, sweetling,” she said, softly, her face understanding and kind. “Just because it doesn’t seem as severe as someone else’s suffering doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter. What one person endures differs from what another can.”

 

Shuri smiled, though her chest ached in thinking of what she had endured. She missed her Baba so much sometimes it was as if there were a hot knife gutting her over and over. And she’d lost her brother, too, though he’d mercifully been spared and come back to her. But the terror of not knowing, of having to consider a future without him in it, and so soon after her father’s death, had been paralyzing. Somehow, she’d gotten through it. She felt her heart melt at Hilde’s lovely smile and she could understand exactly why Loki felt the way he did about the woman. She was amazing.

 

“He loves you, you know. A lot.”

 

Hilde’s smile wobbled in the way anyone who was on the verge of tears would.

 

“He tells me all the time,” she said in a half whisper. “And somehow, I can’t imagine why he would when he could have so much more.”

 

That made Shuri raise a brow. “What do you mean? You don’t think you’re worthy?”

 

Hilde sighed and leaned back against the headboard, her hand softly trailing the bare arm of her husband. “That’s not entirely it, I just…you do know I’m quite a bit older, yes?” Shuri nodded and Hilde continued. “I’m a warrior. I’ve got a restless spirit and a wild heart and truth be told, I don’t think myself suited to the title of princess. Perhaps wife, but that’s debatable.”

 

Shuri smiled. “You could say the same for me.”

 

“No, no, sweetheart, you are a princess in every sense of the word. You were born into this, bred into it. I’ve had to adapt to my title and act as though I’ve got some sort of royal training when I’m really flying by the seat of my pants.” She snorted, and though it wasn’t bitter, it was frustrated. “I know the people look at me oddly. A woman above her station, climbing the ladder from simple unknown to a mythical creature they’d only heard about in their lessons. I’m the last Valkyrie, that should be enough. But no, I had to reach for the title of princess and somehow bewitched the prince into taking me as wife and-“

 

“You mean to tell me you actually let what people say--little small minded unimportant people--affect you?” Shuri scoffed, and reached out to grasp Hilde’s hand, her fingers mingling between Loki’s cool flesh and the warmth of Brunhilde’s body. It was a contrast she found she liked, and she let her hand linger there. “You haven’t gotten where you are by letting what someone say about you bother you. I’m not sure why you are now.”

 

Brunhilde blinked in the warm lighting of the bedroom and then let out a slow breath, coupled with a chuckle that made Shuri’s blood heat up. She wasn’t expecting that reaction, that was for sure. What exactly was going on with her? She remembered that beneath the covers, she was still naked, and felt her skin flush.

 

“For someone so young, you are incredibly wise. And you’re very right, and usually I don’t have an issue brushing the comments away, but-“

 

“But eventually, everything starts to pile up and it bothers you no matter how highly you think of yourself.” Shuri shrugged, reminded of the mostly harmless but bothersome gossip that swirled around her own person, of how she was perpetually single and ever the innocent, of how she’d been reduced to nothing more than a young girl who lived to create and tinkle and never wanted anything else but the occasional good joke and sharp banter. It was exasperating and could really wear away at a person.

 

“That’s…wow. That’s it.” Hilde pressed her lips tight and then frowned, but Shuri had a feeling it wasn’t at her. She was working something out in her head and so she gave Hilde time to herself to think, rolling over in the bed to gather a sheet around her and find something to put on. Before she could get her feet on the ground, she heard the doorbell ring.

 

“Oh good!” Hilde said, clapping her hands together lightly, so as not to wake Loki. “Breakfast is here! Wanna eat in bed?”

 

They did eat in bed, chatting amiably back and forth about the differences and surprising similarities in their monarchies. Hilde expressed her doubts about Loki’s pardons, and about obtaining citizenship on Earth and Shuri assured her she’d ask her brother to give any help he possibly could. And then she felt drowsiness take over a bit as the food hit her belly and Brunhilde was yawning as dawn crept across the windows. And through it all, Loki slept like a baby, heavy as a rock in the mattress and moving only a little when the two women settled down for another nap.

 

“Are you sure this is okay?” Shuri whispered, even as the warmth of the sheets and Brunhilde’s body beside her lulled her closer to unconsciousness.

 

“Just fine, sweetling,” Hilde said with another yawn, this one followed by a stretch and a groan and then, the princesses of Asgard and of Wakanda snuggled deep into the plush white pillows of the bed and slipped into dreaming once again.

 

* * *

 

 

When she woke again, it was to the sound of moaning and soft, whispered chants of a name and little bit of laughter, too. At first, she was sure she was dreaming still, her slumber producing erotica she’d only ever imagined at her very horniest, but the bed felt real beneath her and there was a rustling in the sheets beside her, more laughter, and someone shushing another.

 

“You’re going to wake her!” she heard, from a voice that sounded quite like Loki’s, though it was shot through with so much pleasure and lust that it made her body ache. She opened her eyes, turned her head, and her breath caught at the sight beside her.

 

Brunhilde sat atop her husband like a rider in the saddle, though she knew for a fact that this was a ride of another nature. Lush hips moved back and forth slowly, then up a bit, bolstered by a pair of pale and slender hands that gripped them like a vice. Hilde tossed a bit of dark, wavy hair from her face and met Shuri’s eyes with a grin, feral and wild and so incredibly beautiful and the ache between Shuri’s legs increased tenfold.

 

“I think we already have, my love,” she said, then shifted forward and moaned again. Her head fell back in rapture and she let out a raspy moan, groaning as Loki lifted his hips to meet hers. The nightshirt she still wore rucked up so that Shuri could see the outline of the dark curls between Hilde’s legs and almost make out where they joined. The collar hung just low enough that a bare shoulder and one lovely, honey colored breast was exposed. “C’mon Lackey, baby,” Hilde implored him, “give it to me. I _need_ you.”

 

Loki sat up and cradled Hilde in his arms, glancing over to Shuri and startling her with his brilliant, almost predatory smile. “Only if our sweet princess doesn’t mind. You don’t mind, do you, darling?”

 

Shuri shook her head, wide eyed and completely overwhelmed, and struggled to swallow as her mouth had run dry. And yet, she couldn’t look away. She didn’t want to look away, and it seemed her two friends didn’t want her to either.

 

So, she watched.

 

It was one thing to experience a lover like Loki; it was quite another to actually watch him in action, and with a woman experienced and as self-assured as his wife. They were, in a word, startlingly hot and insanely erotic together, pushing and pulling back and forth like two well oiled machines. It was almost as if they were made for each other. He knew every little curve of her body and read each little whimper and sigh. And she gave him the fierceness and pushback he seemed to crave, her power over him intoxicating her so that by the time they both moved in a frenzy, nearly at their peak, she was flushed red and drunk on the thrill of it all.

 

And Shuri was so turned on, she thought she’d burst. But she held her hands clenched in the sheets of the bed and focused on the sight in front of her, trying her best to ignore the slickness between her thighs or the fire that burned under her skin. There was a sharp moan and a deep grunt and then Brunhilde was digging her nails into Loki’s shoulders as she bowed her head and came. Loki watched this all with the same reverence he’d given Shuri. It made her feel as though she had been just as special to him and that thrilled her almost as much as being able to watch and smell and nearly reach out and feel the two of them, their mutual pleasures peaking and then falling, slowly, as the prince sank back into his bed with a shuddering breath.

 

“See what I mean?” he said, turning to her again, his chest heaving and his skin dotted with cool sweat. “She does that, every time, and eventually, she’ll kill me-“

 

“Oh, shut up, you silly snake,” Hilde said with a laugh, one that spoke of deep sensual satisfaction and saity. She rolled off Loki with a groan and the large, white cock slipped free from her center heavily. Shuri followed every little movement, until she was dying to have that inside her once more, but she dared not ask.

 

That wasn’t her place to. She had no place in their bed and she moved to get up, dragging the sheet along and cursing once again that she hadn’t put anything on earlier while eating breakfast. But a cool hand stopped her and two pairs of eyes, one brown, the other blue green, regarded her curiously.

 

“What’s wrong, sweetling?” Hilde asked, genuinely confused by her abrupt behavior. “Was that too much? Did we…”

 

Shuri shook her head, and smiled briefly to keep the other woman from feeling as though she’d offended her. She hadn’t. Neither of them had. In fact, they’d just stoked the low burning flames in the pit of her belly that her night with Loki had ignited.  And she needed to go to the bathroom and take care of this herself. She had two hands and ten perfectly working fingers and-

 

“Are you alright, then?” Hilde continued.

 

Shuri nodded, though she knew it was jerky and a little false. She’d be quite alright if she could cum again.

 

“I’m fine! I’m just… that was…you two are perfectly okay, but I’m um…” She swallowed hard and tried to find her words, but Loki’s soft chuckle had her speechless again.

 

“Oh sweet girl, all you had to do was say so. What do you need?”

 

Brunhilde sat up in the bed as Loki reached over and pulled Shuri over on top of him with a squeak, and then he settled her between the both of them. She looked from husband, on top of her now, and nudging her knees apart, to wife, who smiled warmly and settled in as if she were about to watch something.

 

 _Oh…_.she was.

 

Loki’s hands trailed up the length of her legs and she couldn’t help it. She moaned, first in the hollow of her throat, and then a little bit louder when his heavy, delicious weight settled between her hips again. He was still naked and so was she, and all it took was a bit of positioning until she could feel his cock nudging at her thigh, asking for entrance to her body. And she wanted him to plunge forward and take her so badly, it actually hurt.

 

But there was the very real fact that his wife was in bed with them…though she didn’t seem at all perturbed at what was going on. So why was Shuri?

 

“Are you sure it's-“

 

“It’s fine,” Hilde assured her, smoothing a hand across her brow, already slick with sweat. “You are our guest, Shuri. We want to make sure you’re perfectly satisfied with us.”

 

“Very much so, sweet girl,” Loki coos, grasping her chin with his free hand, the other tucked under her body and around her waist. “But if you say that you don’t want this, then we’ll back off. I promise.”

 

Hilde nodded her agreement and for a moment, Shuri considered it. She could leave this bed and go back to her hotel and finger herself in the shower, empty and unfulfilled. Or, she could take what was offered and let Loki fuck her again, while his wife, beautiful and willful and absolutely sexy, watched.

 

She found she really wanted the latter.

 

So she sucked in a breath and lifted her knees till they settled around Loki’s waist and leaned up to kiss him hotly, groaning into his mouth as his tongue pushed forward against her lips. When he pulled back, his eyes were black again and his body vibrated against hers and Hilde hummed, pleased, as she settled in beside them to see the show.

 

“Fuck me,” she whispered, gripping Loki’s shoulders hard and with a shift of his hips and a push forward, he filled her again.

 

Even she was turned on by the sound that came from her mouth. She was so hot and wet and wound up that it wouldn’t be long, so she arched her back to take him deeper, holding on to him as he fucked her, hard and thoroughly. It didn’t hurt at all, nothing but pleasure spiking across her flesh and through her body. Warm hands stroked her face and she turned her head from Loki’s shoulder, where she moaned wantonly, to see Hilde’s open mouth expression of pure ardor.

 

“Does it feel good, Shuri?” she asked her and Shuri could only moan out a desperate affirmation.

 

“Yes! Oh gods…Bast, yes, it’s… _fuck_ …”

 

Hilde laughed, bright and beautiful, and snuggled a bit closer as she leaned over to kiss her husband’s temple, his face clenched in concentration of what he was doing. But he smiled when her lips met his face and his groans sounded deeper until Shuri was sure she could feel them in her gut.

 

“He’s so good at this. Such a good fuck.” She hummed proudly and pushed sweaty onyx hair from the prince’s forehead. “Aren’t you, my baby? My Lackey. Gods, I love you and that cock of yours and that mouth-“

 

Shuri’s sharp cry of pleasure cut her off but it didn’t stop Hilde from pressing more kisses to his shoulders and arms.

 

“She’s so tight, Hilde,” Loki stammered out, his voice shaking. “Oh gods, she feels so good, so sweet. Fuck… I….” He cut off with a ragged groan and lifted his hand to grasp the headboard, shifting the angle just enough that he hit that spot inside her that made her scream and curl up against him. If he just kept moving…she’d be cumming again. And he could tell, she knew, because he kissed her hard and pushed in faster, gripping her thighs until they were nearly around his shoulders.

 

Hilde slid her hands across her husband’s back and then down until they moved up Shuri’s thighs, and she leaned down to kiss her temple, her jaw, her neck. Shuri whined out a name, though at the time she wasn’t aware she’d said Hilde and not Loki, but from the other woman’s grin, she could guess what had slipped out, even in the fog of her mind. But she didn’t care. She was so close and all Loki had to do was keep going, shift a little bit higher, a little harder…

 

He angled his hips down, snapping them in tandem with the stroke of his fingers on her clit and she unraveled like thread, grasping a warm hand and holding tight as her orgasm overwhelmed her. Loki came again, too, stilling as her muscles clenched and tugged around his cock, and he collapsed on top of her as his wife brushed his hair from his face, slack with bliss.

 

He was heavy atop her, but it felt good. And Hilde was hot and soft against her side, hand still encasing Shuri’s as tremors from her orgasm began to subside. Loki lifted his head and kissed her mouth, leaned over and kissed Hilde’s, and then rolled off of Shuri with a grunt.

 

“Norns, I’m hungry,” he said, wrapping an arm around Hilde, who laughed, and Shuri, who tried catching her breath. “What’d you order for breakfast, my love?”

 

Shuri wasn’t hungry, but she sat in bed beside the Odinsons anyway and let Loki feed her bites of French toast and tried some of Hilde’s strong wine. Loki hadn’t been lying that it could knock the breath out of a body; she’d only take a sip and already felt warm and woozy. But that just loosened her inhibitions up a bit so that by the time she thought to check her phone, she was giggling and laughing and completely unashamed of her nakedness.

 

Well, that, and she’d just had sex with Loki Odinson while his wife watched. There really was no use in being shy about anything at that point.

 

While Loki got up to put their plates away, Shuri leaned back in bed with Hilde draped over her lazily, the nightshirt creased and speckled with bits of jelly, and, if Shuri wasn’t wrong, a little bit of Loki’s cum, too. For whatever reason, none of this bothered her. It could have been the lingering effects of the wine, or it just could have been that it seemed natural to be in bed with her like this. Either way, she was more than comfortable and would have been happy to spend the rest of her day like this.

 

“What does the rest of your week look like, Shuri?” Hilde asked, piling her long wavy hair up into a messy bun. Little bite marks had begun to appear along her neck and shoulders and Shuri wondered if those were from Loki or from Carol Danvers.

 

“Lectures all week, from 8 to 2. After that, nothing, I don’t suppose.” She turned to Hilde and smiled, giggling a little when the older woman’s warm hands pulled her closer. “I um…well, I want to explore the city a bit more. I don’t get to see much of it when I come because I’m always busy and Bucky’s overprotective.”

 

Hilde snorted out a laugh and tugged on one of Shuri’s loose braids. “Oh he’s most definitely protective of you. You know, during our night together, we talked a lot about you.”

 

Shuri raised a brow, unsure of how to take that information. And why would he be talking about her when he was about to have sex with someone like Hilde? Noticing the expression on her face, Brunhilde clarifies.

 

“I mean, he cares quite a lot about you, sweetling. He talks very highly of you and he thinks that the entire world should think you’re as special as he does.”

 

“Then why doesn’t he relay any of that information to me himself?” she asked, a little frustrated. “I mean, he could just be honest and say he likes me and bam! We could have something other than this attempt at a friendship we’ve had going for years.”

 

Hilde clucked her tongue, though it came across apologetically. “I think perhaps there’s somethings about himself he doesn’t feel you should have to deal with.”

 

“If it’s his PTSD or his past or his arm, I don’t care.” She didn’t. She didn’t care one bit and she wished Bucky could see that. She just wanted him, and his beautiful heart and sweet smile and gentle eyes.

 

“But he does. That’s the important thing. Look at it this way; you asked my husband to help you appear more mature so Bucky would find you attractive, yes?” When Shuri nodded, Hilde shrugged as if that were the answer to the entire situation. “You’ve got your own insecurities and so does he. And he’ll have to work on those to allow himself the freedom to feel loved and worthy…but I think he will, and soon.”

 

“You do?”

 

Hilde grinned then, all teeth and bright brown eyes, and Shuri’s pulse jumped. “Oh, definitely! You’re quite hard to resist, sweet girl. I’m surprised you don’t see that.”

 

She stared at the woman beside her for a long moment and for some reason, she wanted to do nothing else but kiss her. So when Hilde leaned forward a little bit, Shuri’s heart beating fast and her eyes wide, she didn’t back away or shy from the attention. Instead, she closed her eyes and let the brush of a warm mouth that tasted like French toast and wine capture her own.

 

It was so sweet, gentle and delicate at first, and then robust, like strong whiskey or dark beer. Hilde didn’t rush her, content to pull her in by her neck and part her mouth and slide her tongue along her own slowly and lazily, as if they had all the time in the world. Her lips were plush and oh so soft, and her hands were light on her skin, just enough to maintain contact but not enough to scare her away. But Shuri couldn’t understand how in the world she’d ever be scared kissing someone this lovely. It was like kissing a cloud and she melted into the bed as Hilde cradled her close and moaned a bit into her mouth.

 

“You’re really good with that mouth of yours, darling,” she said, and Shuri bit her lip though her grin couldn’t be contained. She said nothing, only pulled Hilde’s head back down to hers and kissed her again, this time a bit more urgent and insistent, until the sound of footsteps in the room and the need to breathe made her pull back.

 

“Dishes are done, sun is shining, and‑no, no, you don’t have to stop because I walked in, do please continue!”

 

“Oh whatever, you old letch,” Hilde said with a laugh, rolling over and taking Shuri’s hand in hers. “You know good and damned well you would have tried worming your way in between the both of us.”

 

“Loki snorted gracefully. “As if you didn’t verily wiggle in between the two of us while I was making love to our princess.”

 

Our princess…that made her cheeks warm. She hid her grin in the palm of her hand and watched her hosts banter playfully until Hilde was standing on the edge of the bed and Loki had his arms around her middle, placing little nibbling kisses along her exposed thighs. It was absolutely adorable, especially when Hilde threaded her fingers through Loki’s hair and kissed his brow.

 

“Mmmm Lackey, stop teasing me…you know I need a bath.”

 

“So do I…I say we take one together. It saves water. Apparently, Midgardians have problems conserving it.”

 

Shuri giggled and threw the covers back to find her own clothes. She needs a shower as well, and probably another nap, and-

 

She also needed to look at her phone because the sun was shining pretty brightly. And if the sun was up, Bucky was probably back, and more than likely would be wanting to check in on her first thing. She scooted over to where her nightgown lay in a heap and picked it up, finding her phone amongst the piles of clothes and nearly groaned at all the missed notifications.

 

Missed calls, texts, voicemails. He’d been trying to get in touch with her for at least an hour, and there was a call coming in right then, shocking her into dropping the phone on the floor. That got Loki and Hilde’s attention and she shot them a wide eyed look.

 

“Um…I really have to go!” she said, hurriedly throwing her nightgown on and trying hard to slip her feet into her sandles without falling. “Do you think an uber would get me back to the hotel quickly? Oh, hell, I didn’t think to look for a back entrance! How am I gonna sneak back in if he’s already on our floor?!”

 

But of course, Loki came to her rescue once more. “Simple. I’ll teleport you there.”

 

“You’ll what?” He could do that? Had to be some sort of mechanical device the Asgardians had created to allow for teleportation. She was unsure if she trusted it, though. But Loki never pulled any sort of device out. He put on a pair of pants over his boxers and shrugged on a shirt for good measure. She found herself smiling a bit knowing the shirt was actually Hilde’s and that it skimmed his waist like a cropped top.

 

“Teleportation is on the long list of magicks I’m a master in. You’ll feel a bit odd initially, but nothing that won’t pass within a moment or so.”

 

“And you’ll get me into the room without Bucky knowing a thing?”

 

He held up a hand and nodded. “On my honor.”

 

That earned him a guffaw from Brunhilde who tossed a pillow in his direction and then dissolved into laughter when he yelped and threw it back in her direction. Feathers flew everywhere, and Shuri was sure there would be a wrestling match if she didn’t insist that she had to go _now_.

 

“Okay! Okay, if you don’t mind, I’d really like to get there as soon as possible.”

 

“Of course!” he said, shooting Hilde a look that spoke of a promise of revenge. “Grab your purse, my dear, and we’ll be on our way.”

 

She ran into the kitchen and got her wristlet, double checked to make sure her nightgown was right side on, and then returned, darting towards the bed to give a feather covered Brunhilde a hug goodbye.

 

“We’ve got to do lunch, sweetling!” Hilde said with a soft smile. “You’ve got my Lackey’s number, yes?” She nodded. “Good. Then text him for mine and we’ll set up a date.” The hug was tight and warm and there was a kiss to her cheek that somehow became another kiss to her lips, one that threatened to pull Shuri right down back into bed with Hilde.

 

“Tick tock, sweetheart!” Loki said, pulling his new lover away from his wife’s mouth and Hilde and Shuri both whined at the lost of contact. If she’d have known kissing a woman was that wonderful, she’d done it more and a lot sooner.

 

And then she thought that perhaps she had an answer to the question Loki and Bucky both had asked her. That made her grin.

 

“You could have at least let me get another peck in,” Hilde says with a pout, but it’s so cute that Loki can’t even get upset. He coos something soothing and leans over to kiss his wife on the forehead, his hands sweeping across Shuri’s neck and shoulders and that odd, rippling sensation that she knew was his magic pulsing from his fingertips.

 

“What are you doing?” She asked. She glanced down and didn’t see anything different, the night gown he’d made her dress from still the same as it was when she’d put it on and her little sandals back to their usual comfortable flat state. He tilted her head back and forth and hummed in approval.

 

“Hiding your love bites, darling.”

 

“Oh! I’d forgotten about those,” she said, her cheeks heating up. “Have you got them all?” She didn’t want anyone seeing what Loki’s mouth had done to her neck because she wasn’t in the mood to explain what she’d been up to all night. She could almost imagine how livid Bucky would be if he knew she’d spent the last eight hours messing around with the Prince of Asgard instead of Peter Parker and friends. It made her feel almost rebellious, and a little bit giddy, too.

 

“Only the ones on your chest. I figured I’d leave the others in case you’d like to revisit our…activities.”

 

That did make her giggle and she unconsciously smoothed her fingers across her throat. She could still feel his cool lips there and his teeth and his tongue, and not just on her neck, but everywhere. She had a feeling she’d be able to remember the feeling of that for days and days.

 

“Thank you. For tonight. And this morning and…well. Everything.” She turned to Hilde and smiled, reaching out her hand to take and the older woman pressed a kiss to her palm. “And to you too, for sharing your Lackey.”

 

Loki snorted out a laugh. “I don’t need two princesses calling me Lackey, good heavens. But you’re going to be late, my sweet, and I know you’re probably itching for a bath. Shall we?”

 

With one final wave back to Hilde she let Loki grasp her waist and the feeling of his hand firm but gentle on her hip kept her grounded. It was a good thing, too, because the air around her shifted and she felt as though her entire body was being jerked inside out. It was even odder than the feel of seidr on her skin and she shook her head, dizzy, when the motion stopped. When she opened her eyes, she was back in her hotel room…and there was someone fiddling with the door while voices talked hurriedly outside.

 

“You’d better go,” she whispered, tugging Loki’s head down to kiss him soundly. When he pulled away, she saw a glimmer in his eye and his smile was warm.

 

“I should. I’ll see you again soon, though, yes?”

 

She nodded, and tugged a lock of his messy hair. “Monday, at the college, at 11. We’ll have lunch.”

 

“I’ll make it my absolute business to be there. And perhaps we'll see about planning our other lessons, too. Until then, dear heart.” With another kiss to her mouth, one to her hand, and then a wink, he was gone, a flash of gold that lingered for only a moment but burned into the back of Shuri’s mind.

 

And then, the door swung open, just as she slipped off her sandals and crawled into bed, feigning sleep and confusion when Bucky and the hotel manager stormed through.

 

“Sir, it seems as though everything is perfectly fine,” the harried woman said, blowing out a breath as Shuri frowned in her direction.

 

“What in Bast’s name is the problem?” she said, trying her best to adopt a raspy, sleep worn voice. She found it surprisingly easy, considering how much screaming she’d done that night, and Bucky’s face was priceless as he realized the girl he’d been desperately trying to reach was simply in bed, safe and alone.

 

“I uh…damn. I’m sorry, I just…” He rubbed the back of his neck and shot the manager an apologetic, sheepish grin. “I got a bit worried. She didn’t answer her phone and that’s not like her and-“

 

“I’m right here, Barnes,” Shuri said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and stretching for good measure. “Some of us like to get our beauty rest, you know. We don’t all spend the night out on the town.”

 

When his face turned red, the manager nodded and grumbled something about the continental breakfast and scooted out, closing the door behind Bucky with a soft click. Shuri refused to look away, glaring at him as if he’d really interrupted her sleep.

 

“You didn’t answer. I guess I panicked,” he finally said, sitting across from her in one of the plush wing back chairs. “Even if you’re asleep, you always answer.”

 

For a moment, she felt bad about what she’d done the night before, but pushed that feeling away when she saw the hickey on Bucky’s neck, no doubt from Sam. But she couldn’t stop her expression from softening at the idea that he was honestly scared something was wrong with her. She sighed, reached out, and took his hand between hers, her chest warming when he rubbed her fingers with his big, thick ones soothingly.

 

“I’m fine, Bucky. Perfectly fine.”

 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m sorry.”

 

She smiled to put him at ease and it seemed to work, his shoulders lowering as tension seeped out of his body.

 

“It’s alright. I promise it is.”

 

He offered her a half grin and tilted his head, watching her face for a long minute and she was almost sure he could read her mind and see through the glamour Loki had placed upon her skin to hide her bites. But then he sat back and the moment passed and he prodded her for details of her night, ones she had to come up with on a whim.

 

“You guys go see a movie?”

 

“No…nothing was playing we were interested in, so we went to Pete’s apartment and played a few games.”

 

“Video games? I’ve been meaning to ask that kid if he wants a redo of our Call of Duty match.”

 

Shuri giggled a little and yawned again, this time for real. “Yeah, MJ kicked his ass at it, so maybe ask her for pointers. I know you lost last time, huh?”

 

Bucky’s face makes her laugh harder, and she forgets all about how jealous she’d been and how angry she was at him the night before. Her Bucky was sitting with her, holding her hand, talking to her as if she were the only person on Earth who existed.

 

“I didn’t lose. I called time out and we never picked it back up.”

 

“Hmmm okay.”

 

“Seriously!”

 

She waits a beat, and then dares to ask him how his night was and he blushes, again, but to her surprise, divulges a few details.

 

“I went home with Sam.”

 

“That’s cheating, Bucky, you and Sam are friends already.”

 

He grinned and shrugged. “The point of the party isn’t necessarily to make a new friend, Shuri. It’s just… ya know, swapping partners and indulging in new things. Oh, and I saw your girl, Brunhilde. She went home with Carol Danvers this go round.”

 

“Oh? That sounds fun. I wouldn’t mind seeing how that played out.”

 

She laughed at his expression and shrugged, deciding to tell him about her revelation. “You know, you asked me if I liked girls…”

 

“And?” He leaned forward, honestly interested in what she was going to say. That made her oddly happy, that he was invested in what she had going on in her life.

 

“And uh…” She paused for a moment, trying to think of a way to say that she’d found out just how lovely women could be from her interactions with Hilde that morning, but quickly thought up a generic story that would give the same impression. “We went out to grab food between games and I saw a girl at the pizza shop.”

 

Bucky grinned harder, if that was possible. His blue eyes twinkled as if he were learning a very important, very treasured secret. But it wouldn’t be a secret for long. Her sexuality wasn’t anyone’s business, but it wasn’t anything to be ashamed of. If it just so happened that she was truly into women like she was with men (and not just Brunhilde), her friends and family would know.

 

“Go on.”

 

“She smiled at me. She was so pretty, Buck. And I uh…got this feeling, like…my chest felt as if it would burst and my face got all hot…”

 

“Awwww sugar, that’s adorable!”

 

Shuri wanted to snort at the notion that anything she’d done last night had been adorable, but she let him have his chuckle and didn’t even pull away when he tugged her cheek playfully.

 

“I told ya you liked girls.”

 

“Yeah, well. Anyway. I need a bath. I was tired when I got in last night and didn’t take a shower, so…”

 

Bucky groans as he gets up, feigning some sort of ache in his back or knees and she knew for a fact he was bluffing. That serum was still going strong, last she checked, and he was in better health than most people her age.

 

“I probably need one too. Honestly, I just got back about thirty minutes ago.” He tugs his Henley down and she’s startled at the need that hums in her belly at seeing his broad shoulders and chest stretched by the shirt.

 

_Bast, you’d think I’d gotten enough in the last few hours._

 

But then he smiled again and it’s the same crooked, sexy smile she always saw and every bit of attraction and want and need she ever felt came tumbling down on her like a pile of bricks, so that she had to bite her bottom lip not to moan. And, if she thought she saw correctly, he’d been watching her mouth and swallowed upon noticing the action.

 

She could only hope.

 

“Hey, I promised you breakfast last night. Still up for it?”

 

She wasn’t really hungry again, but she wanted to be in his presence and a few bites of fruit wouldn’t hurt, she didn’t think. But Bucky yawned and blinked hard and she realized he hadn’t been asleep since he’d left Wakanda.

 

“Maybe we could take a rain check,” she offered. She noticed his face fall just a bit but he smoothed on a smile and nodded. “Get some rest…I’ll see you later, okay?”

 

When he went back to his room, she flopped back in bed and groaned, the ache between her legs reminding her just of what she’d done and with it, a desire to have Bucky mixed with a need to see Loki again and kiss Brunhilde once more. And her skin felt itchy and raw, so that she smoothed her hands across it and whimpered at how responsive it was.

 

She went to the bathroom and took in the sight of her. She looked as though she’d only been to sleep and not fucked by a demigod, but the knowledge that whatever lay beneath Loki’s glamour spoke of a sex ravaged young woman made her body tingle and her mouth split in a grin. She peeled off her nightgown and underwear, standing nude in front of the mirror for long moments to touch her skin, in the hollow of her throat and between her breasts. She gasped as her hands slipped down her ribs and to her belly button, ghosted over her hips and thighs and then finally, one hand moved up to her nipples and the other between her legs where she pressed into the hot, slick, sweetness that still twinged sensitively.

 

She ached but it felt so good. She had a soreness there that she could feel every time she moved her hips and when she slipped two fingers inside her wet core, hot and quivering already, she moaned so loud she was sure Bucky probably could hear. And if the Dora weren’t awake, they probably would be now, with how her fingers moved in and out of her cunt faster and faster, until she was pushing her hips into her hand and fucking herself. The sounds it made stirred her blood hotter, the pull of her fingers at her nipples had her gasping out in pleasure, and she couldn’t figure out which fantasy of whom she wanted to use. And then, just as she felt the curl of pleasure coming around the bend, she thought up a filthy, decadent scenario of Loki and Bucky splitting her in two while Brunhilde stroked her body and kissed her hot and heavy.

 

And that was when she came, so hard her knees gave out and she yelled, spots behind her eyes as she lay on the cool bathroom floor.

 

It was minutes before she could get up again. Sweat cooled on her body and her bones felt heavy. But it was a good feeling. She felt decadent and filthy and delicious all at the same time. Shuri pulled herself up from the floor on still quivering legs and glanced at herself in the mirror again, marveling at how her skin glowed as if she’d been bathing in starlight. She touched herself again, the slickness there coating her fingers and dripping down her hand.

 

And she lifted to her fingers to her mouth for a taste, just to see, just to know what it was Loki couldn’t quite get enough of. She hummed as she sucked every tangy, sweet drop from her fingers and in the light of the lush bathroom, she laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> I am on tumblr most days, lilithenaltum, so come over and say hi or drop me a message. I love talking to folks.


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